A Game Of Life And Death
by Striderm8
Summary: The world was destroyed by an experiment, resulting in the creation of something every child wished was real, magic. However, because of this, souls from the Underworld rise and possess the fallen, leading to the destruction of the world. Possessing magic and skills in swordsmanship, a lone teenager wanders around in a ravaged Japan. How will he survive in this ruined world? Hiatus
1. Unfortunate Souls

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **So, I know I shouldn't be making a new story, but fuck it. Anyway, this is rated M, just cause I usually add swearing and a possibility of dirty scenes and whatnot. Anyway, enjoy this story.**

 **P:S – This isn't anywhere near canon SAO. It'll have characters from it, but it won't follow the story line. Also, this is a post-apocalyptic story and contains magic in its own way and is just a bit weird to begin with, and will be updated whenever I feel like.**

 **Also, some characters personalities may be different in this story. There's your warning. Now, enjoy!**

* * *

 _Impossible_

Well, that's what the kendo champion's thoughts were two years ago. Walking through a destroyed town, his boots stepping on stray twigs and puddles of dried-up blood, the blue sky above was gone, replaced by dark, stormy clouds that erased the presence of the sun. The country town Kazuto walked through was abandoned, no sign of life visible to the human eye. Catching a whiff of rotting flesh, the 15-year-old boy sighed before reaching his hand over his back. Placing his gloved hand onto the handle of a black shinai, Kazuto pulled out the weapon from its makeshift sheathe that he had kept for the past two years. As he walked forwards, a creature once thought impossible staggered into view, its combination of low moans and growls filling the air. Without a moment's hesitation, the boy struck with a single, powerful strike. As the corpse fell to the ground, its head caved in from the force, something strange began to occur. Kazuto watched on emotionlessly as a dark spirit rose from the body, its strangled screams trying to reach his ears. Pushing his black, oily bangs out of his face, the teen muttered a few words as the spirit rushed him, its screams escalating into shrieks. Raising his shinai, Kazuto made a single strike downwards, creating a cut in reality. Air began to rush into the void, the gravitational pull dragging every nearby object into it. The spirit shrieked once more before disappearing back into the _Underworld,_ and as it disappeared, the void also disappeared.

"Damn spirits," the teen muttered before sheathing the shinai. Looking around, Kazuto spotted a small police station in the distance, tucked away from all the two-story buildings. "Nothing's been the same since then." Sighing, Kazuto took a step forward, only for his stomach to rumble in protest. Placing a hand on his gut, the teen patted it lightly before walking off again. Quickly closing the gap between himself and the police station, Kazuto tried to peek through the windows, but the dust collected over the years made everything a blur. Carefully, the boy pushed the door open, his hand reaching behind his waist. Fully pushing the wooden door open, Kazuto looked around at the shabby police station. The building was one large room with a pale brown wallpaper, a jail cell in the far-right-hand corner. An overturned desk was missing a leg, old papers scattered across the cold, hard floor. A light hung from the ceiling in the center, a few stray wires escaping the casing. Clicking his fingers, a dark flame appeared in Kazuto's hand, a mixture of black, blues and purples creating the cold fire. Shutting the door, the teen walked forwards and examined the room for any possible threats. Seeing and sensing nothing, Kazuto sighed with relief before he walked towards the jail cell. Walking in and shutting the door behind him, the teen looked over at the small bed in the corner as the flames disappeared from his hand. A half-broken toilet rested on the wall, nature's hands cracking the plastic, and a sink was next to it as well, roots and dirt also covering it. The bed resting in the corner couldn't really be called a bed, it was more of a dirty mattress found at the local discount store that nobody wanted. Kazuto wasn't complaining though. Sitting down and resting his back against the wall, the teen pulled out the duffel bag from behind him. Unzipping it and looking at its contents, he instantly saw a can and grabbed it. Zipping the bag back up, Kazuto reached behind his waist and pulled out the knife he kept there. Getting the lid off was no problem, and the food contained inside was eatable, but his problem was that there wasn't enough. Unsatisfied, the survivor knew that he couldn't eat too much more, otherwise he wouldn't have enough for tomorrow's trip. Grunting, Kazuto got into the most comfortable position he could before he drifted off to sleep. He could at least get a couple of hours in before he had to skip town.

…

…

…

 _BANG!_

"Quick, get inside!" Woken up by a door being slammed open, Kazuto stayed where he was and half-opened his right eye, his jet-black hair hiding his face. What he saw was quite a surprise. A girl with long hair reaching past her collarbones had her back pressed against the wall and was watching the door, expecting something to get inside. Another person was present as well, an adult man with fiery red hair. Their choice of attire was quite different from the survivors the boy usually saw. The girl wore a purple shirt with a jacket over it that was a deeper shade. She wore dark-coloured jeans and matching combat boots. Her hair was a deep shade of violet that had a bandana running through it.

"Klein," the girl said with urgency. "Tell the others not to come here. We'll meet up at the emergency spot."

"Right!" Kazuto turned and looked at the man named Klein as he pulled out a radio and began talking quickly into it. The man wore a crimson shirt with a blood red jacket over. His pants were of an even deeper red that it was almost black, and his shoes were a plain, dark grey.

"I wonder what's going on outside," Kazuto mumbled to himself before letting out a loud yawn. Startling the girl and the man, the teen stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder before stretching his body. "So, who are you two?"

"Don't." Kazuto walked towards the cell door and pushed it open, slight creaking coming from the old, rusted iron.

"Don't what, exactly? I could've killed both of you already if I wanted to."

The girl's eyes narrowed as she pulled out a blade from nowhere. The sword was quite simple, the only noticeable difference about it was the purple aura that surrounded the blade and the girl. "You're bluffing. Now, answer my question. You aren't one of _them,_ are you?"

"Yuuki," the man said the girl's name aloud.

 _So, that's her name,_ Kazuto thought to himself as he slowly approached the two survivors, his footsteps creating barely any noise.

"Think about this for a second," Klein said, his hands raised in front of him, the radio silent. "If he's a survivor, he could help us."

"Hmph." Sheathing her sword in an invisible sheath, the blade disappeared into thin air, but the girl's glare remained. "What's your name?"

"That's a bit rude." The teen replied as he stood in front of the door, wondering what was outside. Yuuki's glare intensified and the boy sighed. "Kirito. Call me Kirito." Placing his hand on the door, the girl yelped and tried to pull him back. "What are you trying to do?"

"Don't be an idiot," she replied as Klein's radio crackled to life. Quickly listening in, the man's face paled instantly as he turned to Yuuki.

"They've been spotted." Yuuki froze in her spot as Kirito yanked his arm free.

"Your friends are in trouble, aren't they?"

""-How'd you know that?" The man asked as he clipped the radio to his waist.

"I have ears, you know." Pushing the door open, Kirito stepped outside, much to Yuuki's displeasure, and looked around. Hearing an engine in the distance, one word came to his mind instantly.

 _Bandits_

"Yuuki, Klein." Kirito said aloud as the two survivors peeked outside. "Did your friends say where they were last?"

"Umm," Klein racked his brains, trying to remember what they said a few moments ago. "They said they were in the forest near the entrance to the town.

"Right. I'm going to go save your friends."

"Why?" Yuuki's voice rang out, making Kirito question his actions.

 _Why am I helping these people?_ Kirito questioned himself as Yuuki waited for his response. _They haven't helped me in the slightest, and I don't even know them! Yet… Damnit! I lost my humanity a long time ago, so why?_

"I suppose," Kirito responded, his voice filled with just a tiny bit of sadness he had accumulated the past two years. "I don't want to see people become the same thing I've become." Without another word, the teen began walking down the road, ignoring the protests from Yuuki. Just as he reached the middle, darkness began to form around him until it created a shroud. However, as soon as it formed, it dispersed, leaving nothing in its wake.

 _I've seen nothing like that_ , Yuuki thought to herself as her eyes narrowed. _He must be like me and others._ Sighing, the girl walked out of the police station, Klein following behind.

"Come on, we've got to get moving to the rendezvous. The bandits have most likely gone back already." Klein nodded in agreement before he followed the girl down the road.

* * *

"Run!" Sinon moved as fast as she could, the muscles in her legs screaming at her to stop. The group had been moving carefully towards the town, and were about to exit the forest, only for two cars to come flying out of nowhere. With mad cackles, the men in the cars drove straight towards the group, leaving no time to waste. Sinon, Asuna and Leafa instantly retreated into the forest, forcing the bandits to chase them on foot. The group had then spilt up, Sinon by herself as Asuna and Leafa went together. Shaking her head, the girl continued sprinting through the dark forest, avoiding the never-ending amount of dark, oak trees and large roots that protruded out of the ground.

"Come back sweetie, I just want to play!" An insane cackle of a clearly deranged man was slowly but surely getting closer to the girl. Gritting her teeth, Sinon ran even faster, but was roughly grabbed from beside a tree. A gloved hand covered her mouth whilst another moved her body closer. Trying to fight, Sinon managed to catch a glance over her shoulder, but was surprised to see a handsome teenage boy holding her hostage.

"Stop struggling, you'll give away where we are," he whispered to her as he lifted his hand from her mouth. Pulling her closer to the tree, the two blended in as the madman bandit sprinted past, a machete held loosely in his right hand. As he passed, Sinon let out a sigh of relief before remembering the person behind her. Whipping around, ready to fight, the teenager was already gone, as if he had disappeared into the shadows.

"Where did he- ?"

A bloodcurdling scream filled the silent forest and Sinon's heart stopped beating for a millisecond. As her body became doused in fear, the girl gritted her teeth. That was most definitely Leafa and Asuna fighting off a bandit, or maybe even bandits. Without a second to waste, the girl sprinted off towards the source of the sound.

* * *

"Well, well, well. What's two beautiful, pure ladies doing out here, ehh?" Four bandits approached the girls menacingly, licking their lips as they held bloodied machetes in their hand. Asuna gulped nervously as she pulled out a rapier from her waist, pointing it at a bandit. Leafa lay on the ground behind Asuna with her back to a rock wall that blocked their escape, panting heavily as crimson liquid ran from a wound in her thigh.

"I'll protect you, Leafa," Asuna assured the girl who smiled weakly before falling unconscious.

"We'll see about that, girlie!" Leaping forward was a topless bandit, his only clothes consisting of baggy grey pants and a rusty iron necklace. Asuna tried to block the blow, but the bandit's momentum was too much. Falling over, the rapier was knocked out of her hand and the girl was pinned helplessly against the ground.

"Now," the man licked his lips as his hot breath hit Asuna's neck. "Let's have some fun, shall we?" Holding her down with one hand, the man fiddled with his pants as the girl cringed and looked away, preparing herself for the worst.

WHACK!

"Are you alright?" Asuna faced the source of the voice and saw a teenager holding his hand out for her to take. Accepting it, she got to her feet and backed up to Leafa as the teen smiled. "I'll take it from here, okay?" It really wasn't a question from his tone, but more of an order. Nodding, Asuna stayed back and admired her saviour. The teenager was quite, strange, if she had to say anything. His hair was jet-black and looked oily from where she stood, and it just reached the base of his neck. He wore an onyx shirt with an even darker steampunk trench coat over top. Where he had found it, the girl had no idea. The teen also wore black jeans and black converse, completing the look. On his back was a black duffel bag that seemed relatively empty, and an empty sheathe where a shinai would rest.

"That wasn't a smart move, punk," one of the bandits said before charging the mysterious teen. Slashing forwards with the machete, the bandit made his first mistake and final mistake. Moving swiftly to the right at the last second, the teen swiftly swung the black shinai in his right hand into the bandit's neck. Knocking the first bandit out with ease, the teen darted towards the remaining two men with incredible speed. Before the two men could even speak, they were met with a mouth full of grass before their eyes rolled into the back of their heads.

Asuna's jaw dropped as she watched the teen finish his work. He had knocked four men unconscious in a matter of seconds, and to make it even more unbelievable, he did it with just a shinai.

"Hey, are you listening?" Shaking her head, Asuna realized the teen was behind her. Whipping around, she saw him examining Leafa's wound. "Do you have anything I could use to clean this wound?"

"Most of our first-aid supplies are with Sinon," Asuna replied as she quickly moved over to Leafa.

"Of course they are." Sighing, the teen swung the duffel bag off his shoulder and quickly unzipped it. Reaching into it, Asuna watched, stunned as he produced a first aid kit out of nowhere. "Do something useful and keep watch," the teen said.

"R-Right!"

* * *

Sinon poked her head out from behind a tree and looked at the opening that lay ahead of her. The teen that was with her before was standing in front of Asuna and Leafa, a black weapon in his hand. Sinon quickly recognized it as a shinai, but her eyes narrowed as she saw the difference in numbers. A one verse four situation. If they were those useless, shambling undead, the girl would say that it would be quite easy to deal with it, but these were ruthless bandits. Underestimate them once, and you were dead. Moving out from her cover, the girl went to assist the teen, but the mysterious boy looked right into her eyes and mouthed three words.

" _I got this."_

Shocked, Sinon could only stand still as a bandit lunged at him. In her opinion, the bandits that roamed Japan were quite generic: they all wore baggy pants with either shoes or no shoes and a necklace of some sort. Their hair went from spikey like a cactus, or to messy with something keeping it in check. Either way, the bandits that were in front of her were no exception. Watching the teen for his movements, he seemed calm, his shinai still by his side. At the last second, he dodged, creating a large opening to attack the bandit. Quickly knocking the first opponent out, he darted towards the remaining two enemies, and with speed too fast for the human eye, he knocked the two-bandits unconscious. Or, that's what she thought. As Sinon walked into the opening, she examined the faces of the men and noticed that their eyes had rolled into the back of their heads. As she approached Asuna who ran towards her, obviously happy to see her, the girl noticed that there was blood slowly dripping from the men's eyes and mouth. Looking away, Sinon embraced Asuna in a hug.

"I'm glad you're alright, Sinonon!" Asuna buried her face into Sinon's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're fine as well," the girl replied. Breaking off the hug, Sinon walked towards the teen as he sighed.

"She's fine now," the teen said, slightly startling Sinon. Shaking this off, the girl watched as he packed away what looked like a first-aid kit into his black duffel bag before he zipped it up and swung it over his shoulder.

"Why'd you help us?" Sinon asked as the teen straightened up.

"Why?" The boy turned around before leaning his back against the rock wall. "Would you believe me if I said it was out of good will?"

"No."

The teen let out a harsh laugh, but quickly killed it. "Let's just say that I ran into your friends who were hiding and overheard what they said." The clouds above the teenagers parted slightly, allowing a ray of the evening sunlight to penetrate the misty depression that covered the sky. As the light hit the teen, he scowled and looked up at the sky. Instantly, a black storm cloud covered the gap, instantly erasing the ray. Sinon noticed this, but didn't say anything.

"What's your name?" The sudden question made her glare at the teen, which, in return, made his scowl retreat and was replaced with an emotionless mask. "Right, my bad. I haven't talked to other sane people in a while, so I don't really have manners." Sighing, the teen looked to his right at the sleeping Leafa. "Call me Kirito." Gesturing his hand towards Sinon, the girl let out a sigh of defeat before she replied.

"Sinon." The teen raised his eyebrow, but the girl gave him a cold, hard look. Ignoring the look, Kirito examined the clothes Sinon wore. The girl seemed to not care what she wore from what he could see. If it was practical and worked, she would wear it. Sinon had a simple, plain tank top that was a dark, forest green. The jacket she wore over it reached just down past her waist and was a dark green just like her tank top. It was tight enough that it wouldn't get in her way, but loose enough that it wouldn't restrict her movements. She wore black shorts that reached just past her thighs and black shoes that looked like they were made for combat and a casual day out at the shops. Her ice-blue hair stood out the most, two clips holding the two bangs on either side of her face in place. The indigo eyes that stared at Kirito made him snap out of his thoughts before he turned and faced Asuna.

"What about you?" Kirito asked the other girl.

"My name's Asuna," she replied. Examining the girl quickly, Kirito was quirked by her appearance. It seemed that Asuna preferred beauty over practical clothes. The chestnut-haired girl wore a white sleeveless blouse with a red jacket over the top.

 _Seriously, what was up with these people all having jackets?_

Shaking his head, Kirito also saw that Asuna was wearing a red miniskirt with white leggings emerging from within. The girl also wore red and white shoes that looked like they belonged in a designer shop.

"What about her?" Kirito pointed his thumb at the unconscious Leafa.

"That's Leafa," Sinon said as she turned around and kept watch. Kirito couldn't help but have a feeling of Déjà vu as he looked at Leafa. The girl had blonde hair that was tied up in a ponytail that reached past her collarbones. The girl wore a leaf green shirt with a forest green hoodie that was partially zipped up. It seemed that her massive bust was stopping her from zipping it up all the way. Ignoring her chest, Kirito looked down at her legs where she wore dark leggings which disappeared into bright shoes. On her thigh, it was torn where the machete had savagely cut into her. Bandages now covered the wound, but Kirito knew it would re-open soon.

"Alright then." Bending over, Kirito picked propped Leafa up against the rock.

"What do you think you're doing?" Surprised to see that Asuna said this instead of Sinon, Kirito frowned.

"Yuuki and Klein told you to meet up at the rendezvous point, didn't they?" The teen said as he faced his back to the rock wall. "I don't know where it is, so you two need to lead the way." Raising Leafa onto his back, Kirito leaned forward slightly so the girl wouldn't fall off his back. Draping her arms across his chest and pinning her legs to his sides with his arms, the girl was as snug as possible, "We don't have time to waste, let's go."

"Right." Sinon began to jog back towards the forest as Asuna collected her rapier. Placing it carefully back into its white and red sheathe, the girl went to turn back and tell Kirito to hurry up, but was surprised to see him keeping the same pace as Sinon without even disturbing the unconscious girl on his back. Quickly jogging up to the others, the three made their way through the dark forest.

* * *

Yuuki was worried. It had been well over twenty minutes since she heard from Leafa and the others. Walking backwards and forwards impatiently, the girl pondered what could have happened. She knew that Klein was just as worried as her, but they couldn't find the right words to calm their nerves. Turning around, Yuuki looked at the massive fortress that cast the opening they were in in shadows. Usually, something like this was physically impossible, but since the incident that resulted in the world falling to pieces, anything had become possible. After all, Yuuki was living proof of this. Before the event, the girl was close to dying because of her condition. A stupid accident during surgery caused her to have a blood transfusion which was infected with HIV, then she got AIDS shortly afterwards. Before the incident, Yuuki was ready to accept her fate, but before her untimely death, she was taken into a secret underground lab. During the short time she was there, the scientists managed to cure her condition, but they also did something else. They had managed to awaken something inside Yuuki that had lay dormant all her life. There was quite literally no other way but to describe it as what humans called fiction for all their lives.

 _Magic_

However, because of this magic, scientists also managed to create something even worse. Whilst they could use this to save people, they took their next experiment too far. That day, Yuuki could only hear the screams of the living before the dead devoured them. The scientists had somehow managed to bring the souls of the dead back into dead bodies, resurrecting them. Whilst most of them were shambling pieces of rotting flesh that were as dumb as a goldfish, some managed to grow extremely intelligent, resulting in Japan eventually being overrun.

The undead were usually ranked from the colour of their eyes. Dull eyes meant that they were at stage one, basic human strength and speed. Blue eyes meant that they were slightly more intelligent than their stage one partners and were at stage two. Stage three was when they had red eyes. Their speed and strength were incredible, and they were capable of understanding and talking like humans. Stage four undead had golden eyes and were one of the most dangerous of the undead. Their speed and strength were out of this world and their intelligence was unusually high. Only users capable of magic would stand a chance of surviving. Even so, it was unwise to attack these zombies with only one person. Stage five was the most dangerous undead of them all. While they had the speed and strength of a stage three undead, their intelligence level was beyond human logic. They could easily gather huge masses of zombies and even pass of as human if they wanted to. They also had the power to regenerate, and if they chose, could mutate into a stage six undead which resulted in an otherworldly sized undead. Whilst these zombies are the rarest of them all, they easily are nearly quarter the size of a skyscraper and have strength to destroy islands with a single blow. Their speed is reduced immensely alongside their intelligence, but they were a force to be reckoned with. However, they had a massive weakness. Nuclear Weapons.

"Yuuki." Looking up, the girl looked at Klein who was watching her, a worried look planted on his face. "You were lost in your thoughts again. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yuuki replied. Sighing, the girl sat down on the grass and brought her knees to her chest. Hugging her legs, the girl caught a whiff of something being cooked. Turning her head as far back as she could, the girl looked at the massive fortress behind her. The black fortress was currently in its visible state. Usually, the massive fortress was invisible, thanks to Julian's powers, but it was currently resting. Julian's face flashed into Yuuki's mind and she smiled, remembering when the teen first joined them. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time of day to think about that.

"Yuuki!" Watching Sinon approach, the girl sighed with relief, but instantly her guard was up when she spotted the teenage boy who went by the name Kirito approach.

"Hurry up and get inside!" Yuuki ordered as Sinon ran past her towards the fortress. Asuna quickly followed with Klein not far behind. As Kirito approached, the girl gave him a quick nod before he disappeared from her sight. Looking around to make that there were no undead nearby, the girl turned around and walked into the opening that had appeared before it quickly shut behind her. The massive fortress then began to float. At first, it was only a little bit off the ground, but soon it became meters to tens of meters. Before long, they were at least a hundred meters above earth, slowly floating forwards. As the fortress moved forwards, it flickered once before disappearing completely just as lightning flashed through the sky. Rain began to pelt down towards the earth and thunder boomed mercilessly.

* * *

Kirito looked around the corridor he was walking in, surprised that technology like this still existed. The corridor was a generic white with lights hanging from the ceiling. The floor was see through, which, to then teen's surprise, revealed the earth from a bird's eye view. As he walked forwards with the girls and guy, they reached the end of the corridor. Sinon stepped towards a device on the wall and tapped a few buttons. The moment the girl finished the code, the wall slid up, allowing the people to pass through. Sinon walked through with Asuna by her side, Klein following the two. As Kirito went to walk through, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Yuuki looking at him, her red eyes asking a question. Kirito responded to the question with his own eyes, leaving the girl dissatisfied. Stepping through the doorway, the teen was greeted with a massive room. Well, football field sized room was a more appropriate way to describe it.

"Surprised?" Yuuki asked as she stepped beside Kirito, the teen looking around at his surroundings.

"Yeah, he replied. To Kirito's left, there was a small hut that reminded him of a tropical island that was filled with people eating and chatting. Little kids ran around excited, chasing each other and playing games. Exotic wildlife of all sorts combined with nature also filled the area, silky white sand replacing the cold, hard floor he was standing in before. To his right, the sand led to a rather large pool of water. The sand surrounded the water, creating a circle all around it. Children to adults roamed the pool, happily talking to each other without a care in the world. Kirito's eyes narrowed as he examined the pool. It seemed to become deeper the closer you got to the center, and it looked like something was hidden there. Ignoring this, the teen readjusted his grip on the girl on his back, making sure she didn't fall. Once Leafa was in no danger of falling, Kirito looked straight ahead, following the rock pathway he was walking on.

"Look! It's Yuuki!"

"She's back from another mission!"

Isn't that Sinon and Asuna with her as well?"

"Yeah, you're right!"

"Wait, who's that guy with them?"

"Who cares? He looks so good!"

"Who's he carrying on his back?"

Kirito sighed, ignoring the chatter from all the people around him.

"Kirito," Yuuki said as she raised her arm in front of his path, stopping the teen. "I've called over some people to take Leafa to first aid."

"Right." Seeing a rather young woman and man hurry over, the teen lowered himself until his knee rested against the ground.

"We'll take her from here," the man said as he stepped behind Kirito. With help from the woman, they rested Leafa on the ground before picking her up carefully.

"She'll be fine," Sinon said as she walked back towards the two. "Leafa can heal herself if she's surrounded by nature."

"I see," Kirito replied, his social awkwardness kicking in.

...

"Let's go!" Yuuki shouted to the team as she ran forwards, all her seriousness from before gone as she filled in the awkward silence.

"Geeze, Yuuki," Asuna sighed before she gave chase. "Come back here! We still have to report to the boss!"

"Pff, killjoy," the girl muttered as she came to a stop. "I suppose we should go now then. He'll want to see _him_ after all."

Kirito sighed as he followed the girls towards their destination.

"You alright man?" Glancing to his left, the teen saw Klein walking beside him, his hands resting on his neck.

"Just surprised. Never seen this many people after the incident before." Klein chuckled at Kirito's words as they continued walking forwards.

"If this is surprising you, then prepare yourself for later," the man said with a smile. "If it weren't for people like Julian, this would never exist to begin with." Patting Kirito in the shoulder, the man quickened his pace. "We should hurry up, otherwise Yuuki will punish me."

"Sure."

* * *

"Well, what do we have here?" Kirito's eyes narrowed as he looked the man straight in the eyes. Heathcliff showed no emotion in his face, his hands interlocked in front of him. The two sat at different ends of a mahogany desk, both in velvet chairs. Red carpet covered the floor, and a lighter shade of red covered the walls. An expensive looking light hung from the ceiling, basking the room in a warm light. Multiple bookshelves lined the room, a few paintings hanging next to them. Behind Heathcliff was a glass wall, revealing the landscape behind him. Curtains hung on both sides, both a deep shade of red with a white line down the middle. Yuuki and the others watched nervously as their leader made his verdict.

"You have nothing to say to me?" Heathcliff closed his eyes and smiled before opening his eyes again. "What's your name?"

…

"Kirito."

"I see." The man brushed a stray strand of grey hair out of his face as he looked at Sinon. "Sinon, take _Kirito_ here to my brother."

"Yes sir."

"Heathcliff, what do you want from me?" At this, the man smiled again as he faced Kirito.

"What do I want from you?" The older man mused. "Well, Kirito, I want you to regain your humanity." At this, the teen froze, but he quickly relaxed. "I can see it in your eyes," Heathcliff continued, his solid, stormy grey eyes meeting Kirito's dull, onyx eyes, devoid of any emotion. "After all, I've seen that look too many times."

…

"Heathcliff, can I talk to you later tonight?"

"Of course."

Standing up, Kirito excused himself and tucked the chair in under the desk before walking towards the exit. Passing the group, Sinon glanced at Heathcliff before following the teenager out the door. As it slid close behind them, Yuuki instantly closed the distance between her and the desk.

"Why'd you agree to talk to him later?" Yuuki asked as she slammed her hand down against the desk. "You've never done that for anybody else, so why him?"

"Yuuki," Heathcliff stared the girl right in the eyes, making the girl nervous. "This is a personal matter for the boy. After all, I've met him personally before all this happened."

"You, know him?" Yuuki was dumbstruck. The commander had never met anybody on the fortress they were currently on, hell, Heathcliff _never_ revealed anything about his personal life.

"Now, go," Heathcliff waved his hand at the group. "I have urgent matters to attend to."

"Of course, sir," Yuuki said, bowing her head as she did. "If you'll excuse me." Walking out of the room, Asuna followed her with Klein not too far behind.

"Now, Kazuto," Heathcliff muttered to himself as he turned around in his chair. "How will you react to my brother's appearance?" A small smile appeared on Heathcliff's face before the man sighed. "I'm getting to old for this…"

* * *

"We're here," Sinon said as she pushed open a door. Entering a bright white science lab, Kirito couldn't help but shiver as a past memory flashed into his mind. Pushing it aside, the teen looked around and spotted a man with brown hair in a white, science lab-coat sitting at a desk.

"Kayaba Akihiko," Kirito murmured. Kayaba, at hearing someone mention his name, jerked up from the desk and looked around.

"Ah, Sinon," he said calmly. "What brings you here today?"

"Your brother asked me to bring him in today," the girl replied.

"Who?" Looking over the girl's shoulder, Kayaba spotted Kirito and his cheerful face instantly disappeared. "Sinon, do you mind leaving us alone for a while?

Sinon looked over at Kirito and shrugged. "I don't see why I can't." Walking past the teenager, the girl stopped at the door. "Kirito, I'll be waiting outside for you, so don't take too long." As Sinon walked outside, Kayaba sighed, clearly tired before motioning for Kirito to sit down.

"I never thought I'd see you in a place like this, Mr. Kirigaya."

…

Sinon closed her eyes and sighed. Leaning up against the wall waiting for Kirito was beginning to make her tired, and she couldn't help yawn. Stifling the yawn with her hand, Sinon wondered what was going on inside that room, and why Kayaba wanted to speak to Kirito alone. Sighing again, the girl pulled out the handgun that was jammed in her belt behind her waist. Admiring the FN Five Seven, Sinon examined the weapon for any nicks, only to find a glossy finish to stare her back.

"Sinon, you can come back in now," a muffled voice said from within the lab. Placing the weapon back where she got it from, Sinon pushed herself off the wall and walked towards the door. Pushing it open, she was greeted with a strange sight. Kayaba was pinned to the wall by Kirito, his black shinai in one hand and a black flam in the other.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sinon asked, outraged at the teen's behaviour.

Kirito looked back at her, his once dull eyes now a dead void. "I don't know. Why don't you ask _him?"_ Pulling the shinai away from the man's neck, he smiled before pulling out a metal cylinder.

"Take this with you, Kirito," Kayaba said before he turned to Sinon. Grunting, the teen caught it in his hand, the flame disappearing instantly. A cylinder comprising of onyx metal rolled around in his hand, two small buttons on both sides. Pocketing the foreign object, Kirito left the room, the glass door slamming behind him creating a large echo.

"So, what'd you do?"

Kayaba sighed before he returned to his deck. "Well, I just recognized him from an old newspaper I have around here." Sitting down in the office chair, he spun around uselessly, fingers interlocked with each other. "Apart from that, I asked him a few questions." Sinon raised an eyebrow, making the scientist laugh. "I swear, that's it!"

"Fine." Leaving the lab, Kayaba sighed as he was left all alone.

"Kazuto," the man muttered as he closed his eyes. "You've changed so much since then." Falling into a light sleep, the man didn't realize Sinon was just outside, listening to what he just said.

"I knew it," the girl muttered before walking off. "I knew something was off."

* * *

Kirito sighed internally as he watched Sinon through the darkness. Closing the void, the teen turned around and faced the wall. Taking a step forwards, Kirito phased through the generic wall. Passing through with no difficulty, the teen's body slowly dissolved into shadow before reforming on the other side. Blinking once to get used to the warm light, Kirito looked around as he was surrounded once again by people.

"What a nice view," he muttered before walking towards the hut he passed earlier. As he approached the bar, Sinon came into his peripheral vision on his right. Ignoring her presence, Kirito slid onto a bar stool as he faced the man behind the counter.

"What can I get you today?" The brunette said as he set a cup down. The man wore a Hawaiian shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing his six-pack and a pair of blue board shorts. A bead necklace rested on his chest, moving in a hypnotizing pattern.

"Anything I can eat while moving," the teen replied as Sinon sat down in the chair next to him.

"The usual, Kaleb," Sinon said as she fiddled with her hair. The man nodded before he disappeared into the back of the hut. Kirito sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing the oily bangs out of his face.

"What'd you hear him say?" The question surprised Sinon, more importantly, it startled Kirito himself. The girl hesitated, but before she could answer, Kaleb came back, his arms full.

"Here you go, Sinon, person I've never met before." Setting down a glass filled with a black liquid, Kirito assumed that it was Coca-Cola. However, his eyes were set on the smoking hot chips that were placed in front of Sinon. Looking up at the brunette, he was surprised to see a white takeaway container set in front of him alongside a takeaway cup. Lifting the lid, Kirito's mouth began to water as two kebabs with smoking meat rested carefully on top of a pile of chips.

"Your cup is filled with coke as well," Kaleb said as Kirito looked up.

"You didn't do anything to this, did you?" Kirito said as his eyes narrowed accusingly.

"What? I would never- ."

"Don't mind him," Sinon interrupted before she sighed. "He's been alone for the past two years." The girl watched the brunette's face go through a mix of emotions before it settled into a small smile.

"I understand," he replied before facing the teen. "I swear, I did nothing to your food. Is that good enough?"

"Hmph." Kirito took the container and cup and slid off his chair. As he walked, people that got close to him gave him a strange look before veering away from the teen.

"You know what, Shino?" Kaleb said as he rested his face on his hand, his arm resting on the bench. "He reminds me of you." The girl nodded silently. Not many people knew her real name on the fortress, and she only trusted a few with it. All her best friends, and she considered Kaleb a close friend, knew her name, alongside the commander and his brother.

"I should follow him, otherwise he'll get lost." Sighing, the girl stood up and grabbed her food and drink. "Thanks for the food, Kaleb."

"Anytime." Waving goodbye as Sinon walked away, he turned his attention to another customer after a few seconds.

* * *

 _Thud_

 _Thud_

 _Thud_

"Enter," Heathcliff said as the door swung open. Kirito entered, holding a plastic takeaway container in one hand and a cup in the other. Kicking the door shut behind him, the teen reached the chair and sat down whilst placing the food down. As Kirito opened the container, Heathcliff kicked his urges to eat back down into his stomach and smiled as he interlocked his hands together. "Go ahead and eat, I don't mind."

"I wasn't asking for your permission." Pulling out a kebab, it tantalized the older man, but he held his ground. "So, I need to ask you a few questions."

"Fire away."

Ripping away a hunk of meat from the skewer, Kirito chewed it slowly before swallowing. "Do you remember who I am?"

"Kazuto Kirigaya, the national Kendo champion at the young age of 13," the grey-haired man replied. "Was a genius in school and had a promising future ahead of him. However, he went missing a week before the incident and was never seen again."

"Have you ever encountered people who had strange abilities?"

At this, Heathcliff sighed before looking the teenager across the desk in the eye. "Many people refuse to believe this strange phenomenon until it stares them right in the face. While many refuse to believe in it, the best way to describe this is by simply calling it magic." Bringing his hands away, Heathcliff clicked his right hand and a tiny orb of light rested on his fingertip. "To answer your question, yes, I have met many with _strange abilities._ Many I have saved and brought along this fortress."

Watching the light orbit his finger, he was surprised to see it be snuffed out by a flash of darkness. Facing Kazuto, or now known behind the mask of Kirito, the older man was surprised to see the teen had barely moved, but he hid it behind a mask of impassive coolness. No one had a power strong enough to counter or even fight his, not even Yuuki, but this teen had effortlessly erased his light from existence.

"Next question," Kirito said as he finished off all his kebabs and took a sip from the cup. Clicking his fingers, a small hole appeared in the ceiling beside him and a yelp could be heard outside. As a girl with purple hair fell through the ceiling and landed with on her ass with a _thud_ , a familiar sight of powder-blue hair followed afterwards, but this girl landed on her feet with grace. "Why was Yuuki eavesdropping at the door?"

"For that," Heathcliff said as he gestured at Yuuki to stand up. "I have no honest idea. Maybe she was curious?"

Kirito sighed before he stood up. Sliding the container across the desk to the older man, the teen grabbed the cup and moved out from the chair.

"That's enough for me to know for now," Kirito said as he reached the door. Pushing it open, the teen paused in the doorway, as if he was listening intently for something nearby.

"Kirito," Heathcliff called out to the teen before he left. "I've chosen a room for you to stay in." Tapping something Kirito couldn't see on the desk, he heard a beep before an elevator nearby made a satisfying _*Ding*_ sound. "Look for room #8. It'll be your new living area for now." Watching the teen nod, he disappeared from sight and the door shut. Sighing, the commander leaned back in his chair, dark bags underneath his solid, stormy eyes.

"Sir," Yuuki said aloud. "If I may ask, why did you give him one of the best suites on the fortress?"

"Why?" Heathcliff mused as he leaned forwards in his chair and tapped on a button. As the lights in the room dimmed, the man's eyes seem to light the presence around him. "You'll see soon enough. Now, I'd like you to please leave. While the sun may have just set a few minutes ago, I need to rest."

"R-Right!" Yuuki bowed once before she left the room. Sinon watched her leave and sighed before following her out.

 _What a troublesome girl,_ Heathcliff thought to himself before letting out a yawn. Standing up, the man grabbed the takeaway container before he walked towards one of the bookshelves and pulled a book out partially. A faint click could be heard before the bookcase slid backwards into the wall. Walking into the space that was just formed, Heathcliff heard the bookcase slide back into place behind him as he entered his bedroom. Tomorrow was going to be a packed day.

* * *

"Number 8, huh?" Kazuto walked past doors that were spread apart by a large distance with numbers engraved on them. Passing numbers #6 and #7, the teen looked straight ahead at the jet-black door with the number 8 engraved in it, the number created with what looked like pure gold. Stopping in front of it, Kazuto examined the door, wondering how he opened it. Seeing a handprint sensor beside the door, the teen carefully placed his hand on it.

 _Welcome_

The door swung open and Kazuto stepped in. Kicking the door shut behind him, the teen turned around and was relieved to see a handle connected. Clicking the lock button on it, the boy sighed and turned around. Kazuto was hoping for a basic place to sleep, but he didn't expect to have a luxury room all to himself. Glass panes lined the wall that was in front of him, black curtains covering most of it to prevent sunlight to enter. The floor was made of onyx-tiles which had a glossy finish.

"Geeze," the teen muttered as he stepped forwards. Looking to his left, a kitchen greeted him. The countertop was a glossy black, the cupboards underneath a shining silver. He didn't understand what most of the objects in his kitchen did, but Kazuto did know one thing. Most of it comprised off his favourite colour. Ignoring the rest of its contents, he looked to this right. A white carpet lay on the ground with black diamond patterns. One large, lounge chair was white, whilst the two other armchairs were made of black leather. A ceiling light hung in the centre, basking the room in its warm glow. Hanging on the wall was a flat screen TV which took up most of it. Walking past this, Kazuto walked through a doorway into the bed room. White carpet with a large black mat was in the centre of the room, a double bed pushed up against the wall. Jet-black sheets were made neatly with matching pillows. Two lights hung on the wall beside the bed, hovering high above two bedside tables that were a lighter shade of black. Glancing to his right, Kazuto saw a bag rack and an archway which probably led to a walk-in-wardrobe. Pulling the duffel-bag off his back, the teen tossed it onto the bed before he carefully pulled the shinai off his back, making sure it stayed in its sheathe. Bending over, Kazuto untied the shoelaces off his hi-top converses. It was quite a story on how he found most of his clothes. Recently, the teen's shoes had fell apart, and he had been left to walk around with a sole on his shoe. Luckily, he had managed to find a designer shop at a destroyed city he had passed through. Walking through, he automatically saw a mannequin laying on its side, a black steampunk trench-coat resting on top with a pair of unscathed converse. Without hesitation, Kazuto had grabbed the coat and shoes before leaving the shop.

"Kirito?" Freezing up, the teen let out a sigh as he moved his joints. Placing the invisible mask on his face, Kazuto became Kirito and turned around. Walking towards the door, he opened it and was greeted with purple hair. Looking down a bit, Kirito saw Yuuki standing in front of him.

"What do you want," he replied, holding the door in between them.

"A duel." Surprised at this, Kirito hid it and held his emotionless face.

"Why?"

Pointing her finger at him, Yuuki held her head high. "The commander just gave you the best suite in the fortress. I want to see if you deserve it." Turning around, the teen left before calling out. "Meet me where the hut was tomorrow morning."

"Fine," Kirito grumbled before shutting the door. Locking it again, he sighed and walked back to his bedroom. Removing the mask, the invisible facade dispersed away and Kirito faded away into Kazuto. Entering the bedroom, Kazuto fell face first into the bed and sunk partially into the soft material. Closing his eyes, the teen heard thunder boom before sleep took control of his body. As darkness enveloped Kazuto, the lights in the suite were quietly snuffed out by tendrils of darkness before they disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

* * *

A blonde teen sighed as he interlocked his fingers, extremely frustrated. Resting his elbows on the white desk in front of him, the teen grunted before pushing himself away from the desk. Flying backwards in his office chair, Julian looked over at a shiny metal rod in the corner of his room. Splaying his hand, a burst of yellow lightning darted towards the rod. Releasing the excess power stored in his body, Julian sighed as the chair came to a stop.

"I wish Yuuki was here right now," the teen muttered.

* * *

"Damnit." Yuuki lowered the point of her sword, the purple aura surrounding it jerked once before violently spraying outwards. Panting heavily, the girl let the blade fall from her sweaty fingers. With a wave of purples and pinks, the blade disappeared and Yuuki sighed. "Still lots of room to improve." Smiling, the girl walked towards Heathcliff who stood in front of her, his shield unscathed. The girl had finally perfected her ultimate move, Mother's Rosario.

Five consecutive strikes with the point of her blade from the top-right to the bottom left followed by another five stabs mirrored on the other side of the body at speed too fast for human eyes to follow, Yuuki's first ten strikes created a cross that was near-impossible to dodge, lest block. Then, the girl delivered the final blow with all her might. Tilting her body as far back as possible, Yuuki then lunged forwards with her blade, the purple aura surrounding it, making the attack physically impossible to survive, even for magic users. The only exception so far, however, was the man standing in front of her.

"Well done," Heathcliff called out to the exhausted girl as he lowered his shield. The commander had donned a red tank top and grey sweatpants. He was barefoot, a white jacket with red lines resting on his shoulder, completely undisturbed from the impact of the attack. "You've finished your original skill, and you also combined your magic with it. Very impressive."

"Thank you, sir," Yuuki replied as she wiped her brow, collecting the sweat that had collected from the session. "If you don't mind me asking, how well do you know Kirito?"

Raising an eyebrow from the unexpected question, Heathcliff sighed, allowing a moment of weariness to take over before regaining control.

"That is a question, I'm afraid, that I cannot answer."

"Why is that?"

Heathcliff sighed before ruffling Yuuki's hair. "I'm obliged to not reveal another's past without their permission." Walking past the girl, he called out as he reached the metal door that slid open. "Good luck in tomorrow's duel. Do not disappoint me." And with that, Heathcliff left the room, leaving an exhausted Yuuki behind.

* * *

Kazuto groaned as he rolled over on his bed, his left leg dangling dangerously over the edge with his right arm joining it.

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Eyes opening instantly, the teen rolled off the edge and landed with a soft _thud_ on the carpet. Scanning his surroundings, Kazuto realized the source of the noise was behind him and whipped around. Seeing the alarm clock read – _8:37_ , he calmed down and tapped the button on top of it. Stifling a yawn, Kazuto walked towards the bathroom while he ran his hand through his oily hair. Entering the room, the colour design was the polar opposite of the suite: the tiles on the floor, wall and the ceiling were a bright white, the bench, however, was a sleek black with a glossy finish. A basic light hung on the wall, lighting the bathroom. The bathroom was quite large for a bathroom: a large shower sat in the top right-hand corner with a small spa-bath sitting one meter away from its left. A toilet sat in the bottom right-hand corner of Kazuto's vision with a sink about a meter away. Shrugging out of the coat, he saw a bar where a towel was and folded his coat before placing it there. Pulling off the shirt he wore, Kazuto tossed it on the ground before he reached his belt. Quickly removing it, his jeans came next alongside his underwear, then his socks. Finished, the boy walked towards the shower and quickly slid the door behind him. Turning the hot water on, he stepped back on instinct as the water came gushing out before sighing.

"I don't deserve this," Kazuto muttered to himself as the water penetrated his thick hair. As his bangs fell and covered his face, the teen sighed before grabbed a bar of soap. Quickly cleaning up, Kazuto turned the water off and stood where he was, letting the steam rise to the ceiling slowly.

 _DING!_

Jumping slightly, the teen sighed with relief as he realized it was just the doorbell. Sliding the shower door open, Kazuto grabbed a nearby towel and dried himself off.

 _DING!_

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he made sure it was secure before walking towards the door. Stooping down, Kazuto scooped up his clothes and grabbed his coat and the spare towel.

 _DING! DING! DING!_

Irritated, Kazuto dumped his clothes on his bed but kept the extra towel. Walking out of the bedroom, he approached the door out of his suite whilst he dried his hair.

 _DING!_

Scowling, Kazuto opened the door with one hand, only to be met with nothing. Seeing the tiniest bit of brown, he looked down and saw a young girl blushing furiously. Instantly, the scowl was replaced with a smile.

"Sorry for taking so long," Kazuto said as he lowered his hand from his head, the towel resting on his hair. "What do you need me for?"

"S-Sorry!" The brunette bowed before looking up again. "The commander told me that you'd need a guide to the arena, but I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Hmm." Sighing, Kazuto pushed the door open a tiny bit, making enough room for the girl to enter. "There's no point on you waiting outside. Come in."

"A-Are you sure that's alright?" She asked, her hands behind her back. "I'm fine with waiting out here-."

"I'll get changed, then we can go." Turning around, Kazuto walked back towards the bedroom as the girl gulped nervously. Stepping in carefully, she squeaked as the door shut behind her before sighing with relief. Admiring the apartment, she didn't realize the teen had returned until he stood right in front of her.

"Hello?" Waving a hand in front of the brunette, Kazuto frowned and went to say something, only for her to jump back and let out a short shriek.

"S-Sorry!" The girl apologized again, but stopped when she noticed Kazuto trying his best to not laugh.

"It's alright," he replied. "Just go sit down, I'll be ready soon." Kazuto turned and walked back into the bedroom as the girl sighed again. Shutting the door, he sighed before pulling the towel around his waist away. Tossing it on the ground beside his bed, he walked towards the wardrobe he hadn't explore yet. Stepping inside, he was greeted with a wardrobe consisting of his favourite colour; black.

Looking through everything, the teen grabbed a pair of boxers alongside a pair of socks. Seeing a pair of jeans that looked like his size, Kazuto grabbed that as well. Quickly sliding the boxers on, the onyx jeans followed them, sliding into place like he had worn them for years. Pulling the socks on, Kazuto was just left shirtless, but that was quickly fixed. Seeing a dark blue shirt, it fitted him perfectly, and the teen walked out. Heading towards his bed, he found the black belt with silver buckle he had removed and added it to his look. Finally, he slipped the hi-top converse he owned onto his feet and tied the shoelaces before tucking them in.

Grabbing the make-shift sheathe, Kazuto slipped it over his shoulder before unzipping his black duffel-bag. Examining its contents, he pulled out the metal cylinder from yesterday and slid it into his pocket. Rifling through the remaining items, the teen spotted the handle of a shinai. Bringing out the handle, Kazuto remembered when he wielded the full weapon itself. The memories it brought with it, however, made him shudder. Placing it back in the bag, the teen produced a set of white earphones and a black iPod. Plugging the earphones into the jack, he let his iPod drop through his shirt before catching it on the other side. Clicking the home button, Kazuto opened the control center and swiped left before hitting play. Dropping one of his most prized possessions into the right-side pocket of his jeans, he smiled before zipping the bag up. Gently placing his hand underneath his steampunk coat, Kazuto lifted it up before folding it neatly and placing it on his arm.

"Alright, let's go." Opening the bedroom door, Kazuto stepped out and headed towards the exit. He was looking forward to the fight. After all, this was the first time he had met another fellow human who could wield magic. Hell, could magic wielders even be called human? First, however, he had a brunette to follow.

"You're ready?" The girl asked as Kazuto reached the door, his hand resting on the handle.

"Yeah." Letting the girl walk past him, he shut the door behind him and heard it automatically locked. "So," Kazuto said as he followed the brunette. "It's pointless if I don't have a way to address you. What's your name?"

"Silica," the girl replied as she stepped into the silver elevator. "What about you?" Silica asked as the teen stepped into the elevator. "What's your name?"

"Kirito," he replied as the girl pushed a button. Feeling the elevator slowly descend, Kirito crossed his arms and leaned against the shiny wall. He was looking forward to the fight.

* * *

Yuuki tapped her foot impatiently on the ground before sighing. Looking around, the purple-haired girl watched the crowd sitting in the stands and sighed again. The arena was pretty much a football stadium from what she gathered. Rows of seats slowly raised up from the ground slowly got higher and higher until it reached a large grey box which housed the M.C. The ceiling revealed a bright, sunny sky, the sunlight smiling down on the battlefield. Walking towards the center of the arena, Yuuki stopped as Heathcliff entered and calmly walked towards the center.

"Yuuki," the man nodded before he came to a stop. Heathcliff had donned a red shirt with the jacket from yesterday resting on his shoulders. He also wore black pants, something he hadn't done in years, with black shoes.

"Commander."

"Stay on your toes." Yuuki was surprised that Heathcliff said that, considering that he was the strongest on the fortress, despite his age. "He may not seem like much, but he has power that rivals mine."

"I'm sorry, sir," the girl replied as a door slid open from the other side of the arena. "I can't believe you on that."

"You'll see." Heathcliff turned his head and watched Kirito slowly approach. The teen wore similar clothes to what he wore yesterday, and his posture was the same. The black shinai was still on his back in its makeshift sheathe, minus the black duffel bag. As he came to a stop in front of Yuuki, the girl's eyes narrowed as she noticed that Kirito had earphones in. Straining her ears to hear what he was listening to; the girl was left disappointed as he pulled the iPod out of his pocket and ripped the earphones out from under his jacket. Handing the device to Heathcliff, the teen faced Yuuki and made direct eye contact, unnerving the girl. Yuuki steeled her eyes before facing Heathcliff.

"Here are the rules." As a camera drone came in close to the man's face, screens all around the arena zoomed in on his face. "The fight will end when one fighter surrenders or is unable to fight anymore. Lethal attacks are banned, and any attacks that can cause the other fighter to become physically disabled are also banned." Smiling, Heathcliff clicked his fingers as a timer came up.

 _10_

"Prepare yourself," Yuuki said as she pulled out her simple blade, a purple aura surrounding it temporarily before dispersing violently.

 _9_

"We'll see about that," Kirito replied as he held his hands by his side.

 _8_

Yuuki's eyes narrowed as she slowly settled into her stance. "I hope you aren't underestimating."

 _7_

The teen didn't reply.

 _6_

Making eye contact, Yuuki couldn't help but feel nervous.

 _5_

Kirito slowly pulled out his shinai and held it loosely by his waist.

 _4_

Yuuki eyed Kirito's posture. There were too many holes in his defence.

 _3_

 _Is it a trap? Or is he taunting me?_

 _2_

Kirito sighed before a small smile slowly appeared on his face.

 _1_

Yuuki took a deep breath before looking straight ahead.

 _GO!_

The moment she saw the word _GO!_ Yuuki sprinted forwards with all her speed. Bringing her sword backwards, the girl lunged forwards at the teen who stood there calmly, her wrist twisting slightly as she angled the blade to catch his ribs.

 _Gotcha,_ Yuuki thought to herself, a smile forming on her face.

"Too slow." Eyes widening, the girl spun around, raising her blade to defend, only for Kirito's shinai to smash into her gut. Excruciating pain made her want to cry out, but she bit her tongue, hard. Oxygen fleeing her lungs, Yuuki flew backwards and hit the ground roughly. Losing control of her body, she continued rolling, her ragdoll body's limbs flying everywhere. Finally coming to a stop, Yuuki gasped.

"How-!"

 _*COUGH*_

Looking down at her hands, the girl's eyes widened as she saw them splattered with blood- _her blood._

 _How does he have so much power?_

Kirito sighed as he watched Yuuki struggle to her feet, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Holding the shinai by his waist, he watched the girl slowly approach, her face covered by the hair that came loose. When she was about five meters away, Kirito held the shinai up and pointed it directly at the girl, the weapon slightly damaged.

"How?" Yuuki asked as she looked up, a small trail of blood falling from the corner of her mouth. "What is that power?" Coughing again, more blood came out and splattered against the dirt.

"It's better off that you don't know," he replied. Sheathing the weapon, Kirito crossed his arms as he examined Yuuki. "That strike clearly winded you, and you're bleeding from biting your tongue too hard." Sighing, Kirito watched as Yuuki glared at him. "I suggest that you take this seriously if you want a chance to win."

"Fine." Dropping the blade, it was swiftly devoured by a wave of purple as Yuuki closed her eyes and concentrated. Purple and pink energy surrounded her body like writhing tentacles. Opening her eyes, they glowed violet, replacing the usual red. Raising her arm, the aura wrapped like tentacles around it before a new blade slowly materialized. A handle was wrapped in violet leather, a guard at the bottom of the handle to stop the hand from slipping off. The hilt had a rose guard and was also made of a dark purple metal called Ultanium which glowed slightly. The blade was as long as her other blades, also made of Ultanium. The rapier shone brightly as Yuuki raised it, her eyebrows narrowed. "I hope you're prepared. This weapon is not meant to be taken lightly."

"We'll see." Taking the shinai out again, Kirito twirled it effortlessly in his hand before tightening his grip, bringing it to a sudden stop. The girl shuddered slightly as she felt the pressure being produced from the teen clad in black. Smiling, the boy lunged forwards and swung the shinai with incredible speed at Yuuki. Barely reacting in time, Yuuki brought her blade up in a vertical slash and deflected the shinai, leaving a gash in the weapon. Frowning, Kirito spun around and made a strike at Yuuki's legs, only for his shinai to meet her blade. With a dull ring, the teen sighed before jumping backwards, his muscles relaxed. Sensing an opening, Yuuki darted forwards whilst bring her rapier forwards. Jabbing quickly three times forming a triangle, Kirito blocked it all with shinai by tilting it, leaving holes in his black weapon.

"Damn," Kirito muttered as Yuuki continued her advance without hesitation. Ducking underneath a quick thrust from the girl, the teen felt the wind rush over his head, ruffling his hair slightly. Grunting, Kirito thrusted forwards with the shinai, hitting Yuuki in her gut. Pushing forwards, he sent the girl backwards a few meters, but she stopped herself by stabbing into the ground with her new blade. Whilst the girl panted for breath, Kirito was unfazed. Examining the shinai he held so dearly, he sighed, seeing its damaged state.

"Catch." Tossing the weapon effortlessly towards Yuuki, the violet-haired girl yelped before she caught it. Instantly, the shinai pulled her arms down to the dusty ground, but she caught herself before grunting.

"How, can you, carry this thing?" Yuuki grunted as she struggled to hold the weapon, her muscles screaming at her. Finally grasping the handle, she swung it with all her might. The result? A weak-hearted swing that ended in the weapon falling to the ground with a loud _thud_.

"I added extra weight in it so I could increase my upper-body strength," Kirito replied as he reached inside his steampunk coat. Pulling out a black cylinder, Yuuki was puzzled until he clicked a button on the side. A faint buzz could be heard as a laser the size of a one-handed longswords emerged from the cylinder, glowing a faint silver. "Prepare yourself."

"What?" The girl's eyes widened as Kirito instantaneously appeared in her face, the lightsaber mere inches from her throat, the heat from the laser so intense that she thought her skin would melt. As the wind created backlash that slapped Yuuki in the face, she backed up, stunned, as tendrils of darkness slowly wrapped itself around the blade, creating a blunt weapon.

 _Thud_

Looking up, the last ray of sunlight disappeared as black storm clouds covered the sky. With a flash of blue lightning, rain began to pour down.

"Is this your doing?" She asked Kirito who shrugged.

"I guess I'm not a guess I'm not a huge fan of light." Flicking the blade to one side, the darkness remained around the silver laser, not letting a sliver of light to escape. Tensing slightly, Kirito exhaled then dashed with a short burst of amazing speed, closing the distance between the two fighters. Swinging the blade effortlessly, he found that his sword closed the distance almost twice as fast.

 _It must be because it's so light_ , he thought to himself as Yuuki barely raised her sword in defence. Pushing his muscles a little harder, they responded by exerting more force. Forcing Yuuki's blade away, Kirito reversed his grip on the cylinder and raised it vertically in an instant. Within seconds, the girl was on her knees, eyes widened in terror.

"Do you surrender?" Kirito asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

"I-I, surrender."

…

 _Winner – Kirito!_

The crowd was silent as they watched the winner crouch down in front of the Absolute Sword. Yuuki had never lost a battle to anyone, and her skill with the blade was never outmatched. Then, without warning, a wave of cheering filled the stadium to the brim.

"Can you stand?" Kirito asked as he looked at Yuuki, the girl still silent.

"How?" She trembled. "How are you so good with your sword?" Standing up whilst clutching her right arm, blood ran down it, droplets falling from the tips of her fingertips.

"…"

"ANSWER ME!" Grabbing Kirito's cost, she shook him furiously, the teen doing nothing to stop her.

"Yuuki." Kirito looked to his right and watched Heathcliff approach, the man adorned in armour. "Go get yourself treated."

"But-."

"Go." Heathcliff's tone made the girl gulp nervously before trudging off.

"So," Kirito clipped the photon sword to his belt before facing the approaching man. "I assume that you want to fight me?"

"I wish to test your strength," the commander replied as he stood up straight, his full height towering over Kirito's lanky form.

"You better not hold back," Kirito replied as he straightened up, meeting Heathcliff eye to eye.

"You better not either."

"You won't be able to withstand it."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

 **Boom! End of chapter one! Now, this is well over 10k words, which, honestly, is a surprise, especially for me. 10k words is usually about 2-5 chapters in a story. Anyhow, like I mentioned up above, some characters personalities are different. Kirito/Kazuto is depressed, but can't help but assist others in their time of need. He also loves fighting strong people, and is usually disappointed when they aren't as strong as he thinks they are. He _will_ acknowledge ones strength if he thinks they have potential. Yuuki is serious whenever she is fighting or outside of the fortress. Apart from that, she's more carefree. Asuna doesn't like fighting and is terrible at it as seen when she fights the bandits. The girl cares more about fashion more than anything. Leafa is clumsy, and has a low pain tolerance, hence why she fainted to a cut on her thigh. Sinon/Shino is cold to strangers, but eventually warms up to others when she gets to know them better. In the next chapter, you'll see her fight, and I promise you. It will be badass. Klein is Klein. What else can I say? He always tries to help people no matter what the situation. Now, about Kayaba and Heathcliff. In this, Heathcliff is the commander of the fortress and Kayaba Akihiko is his brother. Heathcliff will have the same calm personality he does in SAO, and Kayaba will be a scientist. He will experiment and be excited when something new is brought in front of him. He doesn't care for many people, but will do anything to save them.**

 **Now, I've explained the personalities, I can talk about what's been going on. Recently, a relative passed away so I've been holding off on writing anything on my two other stories. I had been working on this, so whenever I got time, I wrote. Now, there may be some mistakes, but I've gone back through and fixed as many as possible.**

 **I'm finished talking now, and I hope you all have a good day!**

 **Don't forgot to follow the story to stay updated and follow me as well. If you enjoy the story so much that you love it, favourite it and me. It is very much appreciated.**

 **Also, don't forget to leave a constructive review!**

 **Striderm8**

* * *

Sinon's eyes narrowed as she watched Kirito face off against Heathcliff. Kirito didn't have any ordinary power like the others. His was unique, just like the commander's. Looking down at the bench in front of her, Sinon tapped at the screen, bringing up the different types of magic.

 _Fire_

 _Water_

 _Air_

 _Ground_

 _Nature_

 _Physical_

 _Unique_

Tapping on unique, only one name came up.

 _Heathcliff_

 _Power - Light_

 _Uses: Can manipulate light into anything at will_

 _Weakness: Unknown_

Smirking, the girl looked up as Kirito held his arm out in front of him.

 _There was no way he could defeat Heathcliff,_ Sinon thought to herself as the timer began to count down.

She was wrong.


	2. Magic

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **So, thank you for the people who dropped a review. It's very much appreciated. I've replied to them all except for the guest so I'll respond here.**

 **Fanfic Hunter – It will be amazing**

 **SAO Guest – Thanks for the review. Honestly, you should be thanking Insert New Name Here for this story. I had originally planned out for this story to be something else, but after reading their post-apocalyptic story, I was like,** _ **Holy shit, we need more of this.**_ **Pretty much,** _ **Last Stand**_ **has inspired me to write this. Also, the company that unleashed the dead will be revealed in the next couple of chapters. It may or may not be inspired from a video game. Also, you didn't read it wrong.** [Symbol] **Kirito isn't one of the intelligent undead and lives along humans. That'd be too cliché. Anyway, again, thanks for the review.**

 **So, I forgot to make a name for the first chapter but oh well. I'll start beginning with this one. Now, this isn't a 100% confirmation from me, but the chapters will range from 6k words to 15k. It'll mostly depend on my mood. Hell, you might even get a chapter that goes for 2k words. The chapters will go for as long as I deem necessary. Also, if someone would like to become a beta tester for me, P.M me and I'll check out your profile. Also, enjoy peeps!**

* * *

 _Previously..._

' _So,' Kirito clipped the photon sword to his belt before facing the approaching man. 'I assume that you want to fight me?'_

' _I wish to test your strength,' the commander replied as he stood up straight, his full height towering over Kirito's lanky form._

' _You better not hold back,' Kirito replied as he straightened up, meeting Heathcliff eye to eye._

' _You better not either.'_

' _You won't be able to withstand it.'_

' _We'll see about that.'_

* * *

Kirito's eyes narrowed as he watched the man in front of him smile. Heathcliff held out his right arm as he pushed one of his gray bangs out of his face. Light began to from in the man's outstretched hand as Kirito watched on calmly. With an explosion of light, it dispersed as the teen watched the commander pull an elegant longsword from within a large, kite shield, a red-cross design proudly sitting in the centre of the shield. Kirito admired Heathcliff's choice of attire; the commander's torso was covered with red plate armor that had white outlines. His gauntlets, leg armor and boots also had the same design: ruby red plate armor with white outlines. Heathcliff's steel-gray hair reached down to his shoulders, two bangs on both sides of his face.

'Will you be using that photon sword of yours?' Heathcliff asked as he pointed his blade at Kirito. The blade had a cross design for its hilt, a tint of red visible. The rest of the blade was made of a white metal that shone brilliantly in the light.

'I won't,' Kirito replied. 'I don't need it.'

'Fair enough.' Settling into a battle stance, Heathcliff's eyes narrowed as Kirito stood still, not bothering to bring a weapon out.

'Whenever you're ready.'

 _5_

The crowd began to murmur quietly as they watched the two fighters face off, completely oblivious to the analyzing stare both opponents were giving each other.

 _4_

A cool wind came passing through, ruffling the teen's hair gently as he exhaled, his muscles relaxing.

 _3_

Kirito looked over at the stands, wondering where the fresh air was coming from. Spotting a person standing in the far distance, he realized that the person had access to magic as well, their hands outstretched.

 _2_

Heathcliff tensed slightly before inhaling then exhaling.

 _1_

…

 _Go!_

Without a word, the man closed the gap instantly. Heathcliff thrusted forwards with his blade, the tip shining brightly as the man flew effortlessly towards Kirito. The teen didn't even flinch as the sword whistled past his face and stopped directly above his ear.

'You're pretty fast,' the teen said as the backlash from the speed created a burst of wind that messed up his hair.

'Why didn't you dodge?' Kirito's face was emotionless before idly pushing the longsword away from his face.

'I didn't need to,' he replied before walking away. 'You've lost this battle already.'

Heathcliff smiled. 'Indeed, I _have_ lost this battle.' Looking down at his armor, the man admired the dent in his gut, the fist leaving an impression. 'Just with his bare fist…' Falling down onto one knee, Heathcliff raised his hand to his mouth before coughing, pain flaring up in his chest. Feeling something warm slide down his palm, the commander examined the blood running down his hand before sighing. This was going to make today a whole lot harder…

* * *

Kirito noted to keep an eye on Heathcliff as he fixed his hair up. That man was most definitely the strongest on the fortress after himself, and was also a threat if he decided to fight seriously. Sighing, Kirito walked past a mirror but stopped. Going back and looking at himself in the mirror, he examined the small line across his cheek slowly turning red. A drop of crimson liquid forced its way out of the gap and began its slow descent down his face before being rubbed away by a finger.

'Do you want me to fix that?' Turning around, Kirito watched Asuna take a cloth from a pocket on her blazer. Rubbing her finger, the girl removed the blood, slightly staining the handkerchief.

'It'll be fine,' Kirito replied as he scratched the back of his neck. Asuna watched the teen who seemed nervous, only to glimpse a strand of his hair pass the wound. When she could see it again, the cut was gone. 'Anyway,' he gained her attention. 'Why are you wearing a school uniform?'

'Why?' Asuna looked down at the clothes she wore. Black shoes with white socks, white leggings disappeared into a navy-blue miniskirt, a matching blazer buttoned up with a crisp, white shirt with sleeves that peeked out from the blazer and a red ribbon; it reminded Kirito of the school he used to go to. 'There's a school here that everybody underage has to attend to. You didn't know?'

'Well, I've been here less than 24 hours,' Kirito replied as he walked away. Shoes creating no noise, the teen sighed as he heard footsteps following behind him.

'You know, you should consider it.'

'Why though?' Kirito reached the end of the corridor before passing through an archway, Asuna mimicking his movements. 'There's no point of going to school. The undead roam the earth and most of humanity is dead.'

'That's not true.' Kirito's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he froze, only for them to quickly go back to their original position as he continued walking forwards.

'Really?' The teen sighed as he found himself walking through the beach area from yesterday, the area only filled with stray groups of teenagers. Pushing his bangs out of his face, Kirito heard his stomach protest loudly as he came to a stop. 'Fine.' Turning around, he faced the chestnut-haired girl, surprising her. 'Take me to the school. I'll… consider it.'

'You will?' A large smile unexpectedly popped onto Asuna's face as she looked at Kirito. 'Let's go right now then!' Grabbing Kirito's arm, the girl ran forwards, dragging the yelping teen behind her. Kirito groaned internally as he thought about all of the energy that would be wasted in the classroom when he could be sleeping. Unable to do anything about his situation, he sighed and allowed himself to be dragged to his destination.

* * *

'My name is Kirigaya Kirito. That is all.' Bowing, Kirito looked around at the classroom. Rows of desks filled with students staring at him filled the room. Posters were pinned to the wall at the back of the room, the sliding windows on the right-side letting natural sunlight into the room. The left-side of the room held school equipment with two large sliding doors which led to the hallway. Looking at the students, Kirito noticed that Sinon, Asuna, Yuuki and Leafa were among them. One in particular was glaring at him with such intensity that it would've bore a hole through his chest.

Sighing out loud, Kirito looked at the teacher; a teenager around his age was wearing a white button-up shirt with a dark-blue tie and a matching blazer. The teenager also had a black skirt that reached past her knees with matching shoes. Her hair, however, was a captivating blue that reached past her shoulder-blades.

'Right,' Shiota said as she pointed towards a desk at the far-back corner next to a window. 'You can sit there, Kirito kun.' At the honorific, Kirito's eyebrow went up, but he quickly dismissed it. Walking towards his seat, he heard one of the students call out.

'Sensei, no one uses honorifics anymore,' the male student said.

'I know,' she sighed. 'Anyway, let's get today's lesson started. As Kirito sat down at his seat, he watched Shiota tap something on her desk before a 3D model of the fortress appeared in the room. 'Asuna, Leafa, could you please?'

'Yes sensei!' Both girls stood up and walked to the windows. As they reached up and dragged the covers down to block the sunlight, Kirito sighed before resting his head in his arms. Feeling drowsiness get the best of him, the teen slowly drifted off with his head on the desk as the teacher's voice slowly faded away.

'And that's it for today's lesson. You are all dismissed!' Stirring from his nap, Kirito lazily brought his hand up to his mouth, stopping his yawn as he heard his classmates all at once begin to chat. Raising his head, he watched the teacher slowly approach him, a concerned look on her face. 'Kirito, are you alright?' She asked as she leaned towards the teen.

'I'm alright, Ms Shiota,' Kirito replied as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms as he did. Hearing the chair creak, he sighed before sitting up. 'Anyway, Ms, you should stop leaning forwards.'

'Huh? Why?' Kirito looked past the teacher at the three teenagers who were staring in his direction, a rosy red blush visible in their cheeks. Shiota followed his gaze and sighed before straightening up. 'Don't worry about them,' she sighed before smiling.

'Are you sure?' Shiota smiled as she nodded.

'They're always like this. Anyway,' the girl's cheeks went slightly pink as she fiddled with her hands. 'Would you like to go have lunch with me?'

Kirito frowned. 'Aren't you a teacher though?'

'I'm a student teacher,' Shiota replied before turning around. 'I can explain on the way to the cafeteria.'

'Alright then.' Standing up, Kirito walked towards the doorway. Passing by the three teenagers, he took a mental image of the three; one was a brunette with spikey hair, his friend had glasses and black hair and the other was near bald, a thin layer bluey-green hair covering his head. Ignoring their perverted conversation, Kirito exited the room and looked around at the hallway. It was exactly like his old school; a dull green floor with some lockers on the side. However, where windows would be, they were replaced with electronic signs which showed advertisements for jobs on the fortress.

'Sorry to keep you waiting.' Turning around, Kirito watched Shiota step out of the classroom. 'Shall we go now?'

'Y-Yeah.' Walking with Shiota, Kirito scratched the back of his neck nervously. He still wasn't used to talking to other people. 'S-So, what did you want to tell me earlier?'

'Ahh, that.' Clapping her hands together, Shiota looked over at Kirito and smiled. 'I said I was a student teacher, didn't I?'

'You did.'

'What a student teacher does here is practice teaching to their fellow classmates in order to get used to it. Basically, for today, I was teaching the class for that period. Other people in the class will teach the rest of today's periods instead of me, so I'll go back to being a student.' Letting out a sigh of relief, Shiota took a deep breathe in before smiling again. 'Sorry if that sounded rude, I usually don't talk for that long without breathing.'

'I-It's fine,' Kirito stuttered as he looked away. 'Thanks for telling me about that.' The two students walked in silence as they slowly approached the end of the hallway. Kirito perked his head up to say something, but decided against it. Shiota gulped nervously as she stole a glance at the teen next to her before looking away. She could feel the aura surrounding him, one filled with loneliness, but she didn't dare say anything. The girl was just glad that the boy had agreed to join her.

* * *

'Sinonon, why are you so annoyed?' Asuna stirred the food on her plate mindlessly with her spoon, hitting the bottom of the plate every now and then creating high pitched shrieks.

'I'm not annoyed,' Sinon muttered before sighing. 'It's just… Damnit!' Slamming her hands down roughly, the table they sat at vibrated dangerously before coming to a stop. 'Ever since that guy saved us, I can't get over it!' Asuna sighed as she watched her friend barely contain her frustration.

'Yeah… I feel the same.' Sinon sighed again before using her hand as a head-rest. Looking around at the cafeteria, the girl admired its simplicity. Rows of tables with generic chairs filled the room with some plants placed randomly. Basic lights hung from the wall, illuminating the room. The floor was a white with green walls with stripes of white. The area holding the food was occupied by a small line of students who held trays in their hands. As they reached the food that was either wrapped up or in heated storage, they would take their pick before walking away to either sit with their friends or to grab a drink as well.

'Anyway, I still can't believe it,' the powder-blue haired girl said as she stared glumly at her food; a sandwich with one half-hearted bite taken out of it.

'Wait, Sinonon.' Leaning forwards, Asuna's eyes narrowed as she examined the girl sitting in front of her.

'W-What is it?' Sinon asked, forgetting what she was talking about. Leaning backwards, the chestnut-haired girl placed her hand on her hip before thrusting her other hand at Sinon, finger aiming right between her eyebrows.

'You're wearing the clothes I picked out for you!'

'Seriously.' Sinon sighed as Asuna nodded, happiness radiating from her body. The powder-blue haired girl had donned a black sailor uniform with a green ribbon tied around her neck. White and green-blue stripes outlined the shirt that reached just above the girl's stomach and the black skirt that reached just past her thighs. Two green sweatbands with one white line streaking through the centre occupied both wrists, adding to the girl's look. Sinon had also donned onyx socks that reached just under her knees with white and green lines, simple black school shoes on her feet. A white band aid was present on the right side of her face just on her jaw, another band aid present just underneath her thigh on her right leg. 'Well, I suppose I should be a girl every now and then.'

'You look so cute, Sinonon!' Asuna clapped her hands together as she sat down, oblivious to the cafeteria door's opening.

'Who's that with Shiota?'

'I don't know, but he's pretty hot.'

Looking up, Sinon watched Shiota and Kirito enter the cafeteria, the boy clad in black showing no emotions. The teenager noticed Sinon and said something to Shiota before slowly approaching the table they sat at. As they walked, Sinon's face adopted a frown as all the students' eyes followed the newcomer's path.

'H-Hey, Sinon,' Kirito stuttered as he nervously scratched his cheek with his finger.

'What do you want?'

Kirito gulped as he quickly glanced around, noticing everyone's gaze resting on him.

'I was wondering if-.'

'No.'

'Let me finish.' Sighing, Kirito stared Sinon directly in her eyes, making the girl slightly nervous. 'I was going to ask if there's anywhere I can go without being stared at.' The teen scratched his cheek nervously as he quickly looked around. 'It's... Unnerving, having strangers keep looking.'

Sinon sighed as she looked around, her head rotating slowly as she analyzed the room. 'Fine. I can understand where you're coming from.' Standing up, the girl pushed her chair in before walking off, leaving behind a yelping Kirito who quickly followed suit. Shiota sighed as she watched the pair walk off before sliding into a seat beside Asuna.

'So,' the blue-haired girl said. 'Where do you think she's taking him?'

'I have no idea.' Asuna groaned before resting her head against the table. Feeling her stomach grumble slightly, the girl sighed before raising her head. Looking at the curry resting in the bowl, Asuna grimaced slightly before turning to Shiota. 'You want this?'

'Sure.'

* * *

'We're here.' Pushing open a silver door that read –

 _ **Do Not Enter**_

Sinon let out a small smile for a fraction of a millisecond before it vanished. Stepping out onto a strange floor, the girl sighed as she felt a cool breeze pass through her hair, the air reinvigorating her body.

'Wow,' Sinon heard Kirito mutter behind her. Looking around, the place was the exact same the last time she was here. A small veranda with a table and some chairs and a drink dispenser was present, and a flight of stairs led down to a small court with training dummies. The floor was made of the same material that made the fortress, and the short walls that created the perimeter around the top was also made of the material. This time, however, it wasn't just black. It was a combination of blacks and grays. 'I'm pretty sure you don't know this,' Sinon said as she turned around, facing Kirito. 'But the material up here represents your current mood. Right now, it's probably revealing the strongest emotion here from you.' Frowning, the girl analyzed the teenager in front of her. His eyes were devoid of energetic and seemed dead. Even his hair mimicked his eyes, and the skin that was visible was an unnatural, unhealthy white.

'That explains everything, I suppose.' Walking past the girl, Kirito reached the edge of the top of the fortress and peered down. Watching the scenery pass by slowly, the teen couldn't help but feel depressed. The forests that passed by used to be teeming with wildlife, and the small county towns used to be populate by living, breathing humans. Casting his eyes downwards, Kirito remembered the day he had failed himself and everyone else.

 _A flashback…_

'I haven't had one of these in a while…'

' _Help me!'_

 _Whipping around, 13-year-old Kazuto caught the sight of something he wished that he never saw. Eyes widening in horror, a cold sweat ran down his weary body as he shivered violently. A red-eyed undead in the form of a business man smirked as it rushed a woman cradling a crying baby, her body hunched over protectively over the infant._

' _Help me! -'_

 _Shaking, Kazuto gulped as he bit his lip, hard, his two top teeth piercing his bottom lip with ease. Droplets of crimson liquid began to slowly drip from his pale lips as his grip on his Black Shinai loosened, the weapon nearly slipping from his sweaty hand. Gritting his teeth, the frightened teen let out a scream of despair before rushing the zombie. However, before he made a strike, the teen faltered. Slowly, Kazuto backed up, one step at a time before quickly whipping around and sprinting away from the undead, a grin plastered on its mutilated face as it watched him run away. Muscles screaming at him to stop as they pumped, the teenager was shrouded in despair as he escaped the burning city that was Kyoto._

'Kirito?' Slowly opening his eyes, the teen shook off the mental images before focusing on the icey-haired girl beside him.

'Sorry, I just remembered something… bad, that's all.' Sinon frowned as she looked at Kirito's face. He was clearly hiding something, she knew that for a fact. The despair his aura projected was unbelievable, and the sorrow that could be heard in his voice every time he spoke…

 _*Grumble*_

Sinon stifled a laugh as she watched Kirito look down at his stomach, it's loud protests echoing from the roof.

'Here.' Sinon reached behind her waist and tugged at something wedged between her back and skirt. Pulling out a half-crushed sandwich, the girl winced slightly as she handed the ham and cheese sandwich to Kirito. Murmuring a thanks, Sinon watched the teen unwrap the food before silently taking a careful bite. Moments passed and the silence continued as the breeze slowly faded away into nothingness.

'Sinon.' The girl blinked rapidly before realizing that Kirito was talking to her. 'Answer me honestly. How do all of you get your powers?'

Frowning, the powder-blue haired girl sighed before moving besides Kirito. Leaning against the short wall, Sinon absentmindedly brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she watched the scenery blur past.

'I'll only tell you what you need to know.' Sighing, Sinon stole a glance at Kirito who kept staring ahead, his eyes still a dull black.

' _I'm trusting you not to tell the others about this,'_ the girl thought to herself before taking a deep breathe.

'I'll start from the start.'

* * *

The door swung shut roughly as Kirito slowly slid downwards against the wall. Bringing his head into his knees, the teen cradled his head between his knees as he slumped against the wall.

'You're kidding me,' he murmured as he recalled the basics of what Sinon just said.

Humans with so called _Magic Powers_ were actually people who had somehow managed the impossible. Magic wielders were people who had the ability to use the power from the spirits that resided with their bodies. Using and harnessing that power, said person could wield a power beyond human comprehension that best suits them to their advantage, for good or bad. Some people could also use multiple types of magic as well, but from what Sinon told him, there were three groups which all magic belonged to. Common, rare and unique. These three types of powers gave the user a versatile range of powers to pick from, though they would usually be stuck in a subcategory of one of the six elements, seven if you counted unique. Fire, water, air, ground, nature, physical and unique...

Sighing, Kirito raised his head and watched the clouds slowly block a stray strand of sunlight. Looking down at his right hand, the teen watched tendrils of darkness slowly wrap itself around his palm, chilling him to his bones, literally. Clenching his hand, the darkness vanished as he sighed in relief. Kirito had made a promise to himself, a promise he would never break.

No matter the cost, no matter what happened to himself in the process, Kirito would use his cursed powers to defeat the one enemy that plagued him ever since the incident. Ever since that one undead bit him and infected his body with its power, he had sworn to take revenge. The rank 5 undead, _'Poh,'_ would die by Kirito's hands, and his hands alone. He would be sure of it.

Shaking his head, Kirito sighed before looking towards the sky. Recalling the conversation he just had with Sinon, the teen pondered why the girl was furious. Kirito was just admiring her school uniform: in his defense, the girl looked cute, when he had accidentally used one of his powers, making the girl's magic spring into life. One second Sinon was saying something important, then the next moment, she had two neko ears and a tail. Kirito remembered how the girl blushed furiously at her powers springing to life before she slapped him and stormed off. Sighing, Kirito leaned against the wall before losing both his eyes to the darkness. He really didn't get enough sleep last night.

* * *

Sinon shivered slightly as she slowly descended down the rough stairs. Slowly running her hand through her hair, the girl sighed as she felt the two cat ears on her head slowly disappear and the tail that protruded from her skirt quickly vanish.

'That boy…' Sinon's whole body shook as her anger began to escape. Clenching her fist, she exhaled and stopped shaking. Reaching the end of the stairs, the girl pushed the door open and silently entered an empty hallway.

 _*RING*_

'May as well head back.' Sighing, Sinon walked back to her classroom as the door at the end of the hallway burst open, students filing out quickly.

* * *

 _12:00_

Heathcliff groaned slightly as he settled down into his chair, using the desk to support himself. The man realized that Kazuto had done a lot more than just punch him. Once Heathcliff reached the hallway, blood began to trickle from the dent in his armor. Upon closer inspection, he had found tiny picks made of darkness embedded in his armor which stabbed into his gut.

 _Knock. Knock_

Sighing, Heathcliff brought his chair closer to the desk before speaking.

'Come in.'

The door slowly swung open, revealing a teenager clad in black clothes. Kazuto entered silently as the door shut behind him. Settling himself into the chair, an awkward silence filled the space between the two fighters.

'So,' the commander said, breaking the silence. 'Why are you here, Kazuto?'

'I came here for answers.' Pulling out the iPod in his pocket, the teen pulled the audio jack out before unlocking the device. 'I want you to tell me about my powers.' Heathcliff's eyebrow shot up at the mention of _powers_ , but said nothing.

'Of course. It's best for one with access to magic to know as much as possible about it.' Sighing, the steel-haired man gestured at the boy sitting across him. 'What do you know about your powers so far, Kazuto?'

'As far as I know,' the moody teenager replied. 'I have four powers, or access to four different types of _magic_.' Leaning back in his chair, Kazuto slightly stretched his legs before relaxing. 'From what I know, I'm guessing that two of my powers are rare, and the other two are unique.'

'Go on.'

Opening his mouth, Kazuto continued speaking without missing a beat. 'I'll start with one of the powers that I think are rare to have. The first one is pretty simple; when I start using it, my speed, strength, senses and defense become a lot sharper than an average human being. It'd be impossible to get to the level I'm at, even if you trained your whole life.'

'I think what you're talking about is what we call, " _Inhuman Power",_ Kazuto,' Heathcliff stated simply as he interlocked his hands in front of him. 'It'd belong to the Physical element in one of the subcategories. When said person uses the power, their speed, strength, senses and defense are measured by ranks, the lowest being rank one and the highest being rank 15.'

'Right, thanks for that.' Kazuto's fingers were a blur as he quickly inputted all the information he heard into his iPod's notes. 'On to the second one.' Tilting his head, the teen stretched his neck before sighing. 'I call this power _Restoration_. It allows me to survive any injury inflicted to my body. As long as a part of my body still exists, I can regenerate with a perfectly fine, new body part or body all together. It also allows me to heal others as well if I choose to. The downside is, however, that every time I use the power, I lose some stamina.'

'Does it drain you mentally at all?' Kazuto nodded his head as Heathcliff frowned. 'Anyway, I'd say that that power is unique to you alone. However,' the commander shook his head. 'Losing stamina to heal yourself or others? That's dangerous, especially if you're out on the battlefield.'

'Also,' Kazuto continued as his fingers switched to autopilot, flying across the screen as data filled the document. 'I think this other power I can use is rare. Every time I do something that can possible increase my physical, mental or spiritual capabilities when I'm using the power, it seems that my efforts are doubled and added back to my body without any drawbacks.' Taking a breath, Kazuto continued. 'Essentially, if I were to workout with all my strength, and my muscles grew slightly stronger from it, the magic power would multiply the amount of power by two or something and add it back to my body, making the workout twice as effective. Something like that.'

'Improve.' Heathcliff sighed as he removed his hands from each other and tapped on the table. A blue, 3D hologram flickered to life above the table between the two fighters as the curtains behind the commander slid shut. 'Most definitely a rare ability. Only a few people have this ability, and when used during a battle when you're about to reach your limit, you can become even stronger than before. Here, look at this.' Pushing the hologram towards Kazuto, the teen examined the strange orb of light looked at him.

'Is this what the power looks like?' He asked as he rotated the model.

'Some of the scientists on the fortress have managed to extract powers from people who died on missions and replicated them. Technically, scientists, if skilled enough, can man-make magic powers which can be injected into other humans.' Heathcliff tapped something on the table and the model disappeared. 'I do not approve of this idea, forcing people to use magic. However, since our current situation calls for it, I'm allowing people willing to sacrifice their lives to fight to be injected, with their consent, of course.'

Kazuto's neck tingled slightly but he ignored the sensation. 'Right. Anyway, there's something else I can do with those powers.'

'You can do other things with those powers?' Heathcliff's eyes narrowed as his brain began calculating everything else possible to do with those powers. 'What do you mean, exactly?'

'Well,' Kazuto rubbed the back of his neck. 'When I'm in a pinch or have a lot of energy, I can boost the power of those magics. With the Inhuman power or whatever you called it, I can temporarily make myself stronger for a limited time, but it leaves me extremely tired. With improve, if I boost its power, my physical, mental and spiritual states become stronger at insane speeds. When I use this, however, I'm usually knocked out for around five to ten minutes.'

'That sounds like the overdrive ability,' Heathcliff replied as he looked directly into Kazuto's eyes. 'It's not a magic of any sort from the research we've conducted, but only a few people have this ability. We still have no idea how one obtains this, but we won't give up.'

'You haven't changed at all, have you?' Heathcliff smiled at this statement, Kazuto returning the favor with a small smile. 'Anyway, I'm sure you know what the last power I have is?'

'I have a vague idea, but I'd like you to explain what it is nonetheless.'

'Alright,' Kazuto sighed as he leaned into his chair, making it creak slightly. 'This one allows me to control shadows, darkness- you get the point. Pretty much, anything that is black or dark-colored, I can control and manipulate to my will. I can create anything out of shadows, even food and water, but it won't have any taste. The power allows me to do anything, even teleport to locations or hide my presence completely. It relies on my imagination for most of these things, but I make it work.'

'In a way,' Heathcliff said slowly, processing all the information. 'Your power is exactly like mine, except that you control darkness and it relies off imagination, whilst mine is light and relies on willpower.' Sighing, the man absentmindedly brushed a strand of hair out of his face. 'Anyway, what's your last power?'

'Oh, right.' Closing his eyes, Kazuto re-opened them and examined the orb of light that was in Heathcliff's chest. 'My last power, which I think is unique, allows me to see what type of magic someone uses and also allows me to force them to use it. I can also manipulate the magic they use if I choose to, but my power has to be stronger than theirs.'

'Interesting.' Standing up, Heathcliff moved out from the desk and pushed the chair in. 'Well, Kazuto, I have somewhere I'd like to show you.' Moving past the teen, the commander reached the door and pushed it open. Sighing, Kazuto got up as well and followed the man, his stomach making a low grumble as it did. He'll get some food after this.

'We're here.' Opening a door, Heathcliff and Kazuto walked through and began making their way down the cold, dull steps.

* * *

A large room that could act as two tennis courts was on the teen's right as he made his way down the steps. Footlights lined the room with generic lights hanging on the walls, training dummies and racks of weapons tossed into a corner. Kazuto also noticed that the whole area was made of concrete, and dents were visible in the walls and ground, cracks splayed out from the centre.

Reaching the end of the steps, Heathcliff turned to him and sighed. 'Sorry for making you have to do this.'

'What's this for anyway?' Kazuto asked as he walked past the man and looked around. Kneeling down, the teen's eyes narrowed as he felt the presence of somebody in the room. Ignoring the warnings his body screamed at him, he touched the ground where a massive crack was present.

'This room is used for training others,' the commander replied as he moved towards the crate of weapons and dummies. 'However, its also used to test your skills and see how powerful your magic is.'

'I see.' Standing up, Kazuto began stretching as Heathcliff began pulling weapons out from the crate and placing them behind him. As the teen prepared himself for the test, he felt the same presence from before again. Holding his sigh, Kazuto instead yawned loudly.

'What would you like to test first?' Kazuto scratched his chin as he looked around the room, trying to identity the hidden person.

Smiling, the teen turned around and faced the commander. 'Magic first. I've never had the chance to test its limits.'

'Fair enough.' Heathcliff pulled out two metal rods with strange marks engraved into the side. The gray, silicone handle wrapped itself around the base of the rod, the symbols lighting up as the commander tightened his grip. 'Here.' Tossing the other weapon to Kazuto, he caught it with ease before making a thorough inspection. Running his fingers against the symbols, they lit up with a dull glow.

'I guess this is to measure my power?' Heathcliff nodded as he settled into a familiar stance. Backing up, Kazuto stopped when there was ten meters between them before holding the rod up. 'Ready?'

'Whenever you are.' Smiling, the man prepared himself for the oncoming onslaught.

* * *

Sinon made her way through a sweltering hot room that was barely lit up by the burning coals, the red glow close to dying. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, the girl looked to her right as she walked past multiple tables filled with dull metal that were lit up by harsh, white lights. Observing the left side of the room, Sinon's eyes skimmed over the forges and anvils that were lit up by the glowing coals, blacksmith water troughs sitting neatly beside workbenches filled with weird, misshapen tools. Reaching the end of the room, the teen took a right and leaned against the wall as she watched a cherry-haired girl around her own age fiddle with a metal handle. The girl, realizing that somebody was there, perked up. Spotting Sinon, the girl cried out as she moved around the workbench before throwing herself at Sinon.

'Sinon!'

'Hey, Liz,' she replied as she hugged the girl back. 'How's it been with us gone?' The girl, Liz, looked up, tears in her eyes.

'It's been terrible!' Unlatching herself from Sinon, Liz composed herself before sighing. 'Anyway, enough of me, what about you? You know, I _did_ hear that a cute guy came back with you...' Sinon sighed as Liz made the face she was so used to.

'Liz,' Sinon rapped her knuckles lightly against Liz's head, making the girl groan.

'Alright, alright, I get it.' Grinning, the girl walked back towards the workbench and picked up the metal handle she was inspecting. 'Girl, come on over here. We have so much to catch up on!'

Sinon sighed, but couldn't help but let the smile come across her face.

'Sure.'

* * *

 **Alright, this chapter is done! For the people wondering what this chapter's word length is, it's around 6k words. Yes, I know it's not as much as the last chapter, but I'm writing this story at my own leisure, meaning that whenever I feel like it, I'll pick up my iPod or go on my laptop and start writing. Also, it's also** _ **really hard**_ **to go back and edit all of this. Pretty much, after I write a bit, I go back and skim over what I wrote. Fixing mistakes is what I usually do, but sometimes I end up changing a whole entire scene just because I didn't like the way I wrote it. Anyway, enough of all the complaining, time to talk about the actual stuff.**

 **Now, if some words are misspelled, I have a reason for that. Pretty much, when I'm working on this story, the words get autocorrected differently on my iPod and laptop, or some words are considered wrong on my laptop and right on my iPod. It's confusing, so sorry about that.**

 **Now, concerning Japanese words and honorifics. Yes, I** _ **will**_ **one be using them (emphasis on will), so don't be surprised if use them. However, I won't be using them all the time, only when I feel like it.**

 **Neko – Cat**

 **Now (I've started the last three paragraphs with now. Geeze, get creative), concerning Kirito's/Kazuto's powers. Yes, he is overpowered, and yes, it is possible for a person to have more than one power. However, he does have one weakness with them. I'll get into that another time.**

 **To answer people's questions before you even ask. Yes, it is possible for Kirito/Kazuto to defeat Heathcliff with one punch. No, I'm not ripping off One Punch Man or anything (I swear), I've got a logical explanation. Pretty much, Heathcliff had no idea what powers Kirito had apart from some control over darkness/shadows. What happened was that Kirito used his Inhuman Power and increased his physical strength. With that, he also created tiny shadows picks that he hid between his fingers before punching Heathcliff in the gut. Heathcliff, on the other hand, was about to kill Kirito with his sword, so he adjusted the thrust so it only skimmed his cheek and hovered over his ear. The reason why the punch didn't kill Heathcliff was because of the armor he wore. Without that, the commander would've died.**

 **That's out of the way, now I can relax.**

 _ **IMPORTANT!**_

 **Concerning Don't Fear The Dark, I'll continue working on that when I get the time. Also, I** _ **may**_ **have started another fanfic...**

 **I have a serious problem, don't I?**

 **Oh well. Here's what it's going to be about.**

 **Akame Ga kill**

 **If you haven't watched it, watch it. I haven't finished the series yet, but I've kinda become obsessed with writing a fanfic with General Esdeath x My own character. Anyway, sorry for all the useless words that have nothing to do with this story, (not really).**

 **Don't forget to follow/favorite if you haven't already, and drop a constructive review. If you have any questions, either P.M me or leave a review asking. I'll probably respond with the hour, or day, or week. I don't know. I usually respond pretty quickly. Also, share the story around with friends or people you know who will enjoy it.**


	3. Disaster

**A Game of Life and Death**

* * *

Kazuto didn't hold back. Well, physically, at least. Sprinting towards Heathcliff, he recalled the short session they had with testing his magic on the metal rod, and how his power was deemed too powerful as the rod overheated and melted.

Pushing the recent events aside, he planted his feet firmly before thrusting forwards with the longsword he was given; speed, precision and power all taken into account. The older man took a step back before knocking the sword downwards with his shield, the blade offering no resistance. Smiling, Heathcliff returned Kazuto's gesture and thrusted his sword in his general direction. Letting the blade approach, Kazuto gave it no thought as he leaned backwards to the point of where his hair was touching the floor and watched its tip hover over his face before bringing his sword up vertically, forcing the man to move backwards. Returning to his normal stance with surprising agility, the teen continued raising his blade before bringing it from his right side in a vicious, horizontal slash. Heathcliff raised his shield and blocked the oncoming weapon, only for his eyes to widen in surprise as Kazuto let go of his weapon. The teen let a small smile come out onto his face before darting forwards and grabbing the blade in a reverse grip style. Continuing with his momentum, he moved behind the man and brought his sword with him, opting to cut his enemy's hip. However, Heathcliff wasn't called the strongest for nothing. With barely anytime to react, the elder man flipped the sword 180° before thrusting downwards, stabbing his longsword in the concrete whilst blocking Kazuto's unexpected strike.

"That was... unexpected," Heathcliff muttered as he whipped around, ripping his blade out of the ground. However, Kazuto wasn't there. Eyes narrowing, he sensed a presence behind him and lashed out with the tip of his shield, only to hit nothing.

"Checkmate." Kazuto brought the edge of his longsword around Heathcliff's neck as the elder man felt something prod him in the back. The teen removed the sword and backed up so his elder could breathe. "I used magic to trick you."

"I thought we agreed to a physical test?"

"Well, you didn't state any rules, and I didn't use magic to inflict damage on you, so it technically wasn't cheating." Heathcliff frowned at his, but it quickly turned into a good-natured laugh.

"Exploiting the rules in a test match," he muttered before sheathing the sword within the shield. Turning to look at Kazuto, the commander couldn't help but smile. After all, while the teen didn't reveal his emotions on the outside, he couldn't hide the glimmer in his usually dull eyes from the short fight. However, he couldn't shake a feeling inside him that Kazuto wasn't telling the truth when he said he used magic. After all, the presence seemed nostalgic.

* * *

"What should I wear?" Julian sighed, frustrated as he threw another jacket across the room. The teen was once again in his room, only to be frustrated by his choice of clothing. Yuuki had asked him to meet up with her, but was it a date or something completely irrelevant like combat training? "Damnit, this'll do." Slipping on a white jacket over his blue shirt, the teen grabbed a belt before fixing up his black jeans. Stopping in front of the mirror as he walked out, Julian noticed his unruly hair and sighed. "I'll probably need to fix that as well."

Walking through one of the fortress's generic hallways; plain white wallpaper and a vinyl floor with lights hanging off the walls, Julian was lost in thought. He was still utterly confused on what Yuuki possibly wanted, but at the same time, was nervous. Sure, the teen _was_ very negligent on their relationship as he was always busy working on new blueprints for the fortress, but he couldn't help it. The fortress required constant updates and upgrades as it was a technical and complicated, and Julian was one of the few who could actually upgrade the flying home for thousands, especially with his powers over electricity. The element was considered a sub-class of water, though the teen had no idea on how to work. He had a general idea on how it worked; something to do with ice-crystals and water droplets rubbing against each other or something.

"Julian?"

"Eh?" Looking up, the blonde realized that Yuuki was standing in front of him, his subconscious mind making him walk towards their meeting place. "Oh, hey Yuuki."

"Geeze," the girl pouted as she leaned forwards. "Can't you get out of work mode for one second?"

"I-."

"I'm just kidding." Giggling, a cheerful smile replaced her gloomy look beforethe purple-haired girl looped her arm through his. "Come on, let's go hang out for a bit. You need to pay more attention to your girlfriend, you know? Otherwise, I might get bored and..."

"R-Right." Julian sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Yuuki said as she began walking with the blonde. "You play an important part here on the fortress."

"I suppose I do." Letting himself have a quiet chuckle, Julian walked forwards with Yuuki, the timid boy with the confident girl.

Andrew looked around at the mini-café that he ran in the food court area of the fortress, not too far from the clothes district. Sighing, the tall, African man began to absentmindedly dry a cup with a rag, his bulky figure hidden underneath a baggy, long-sleeved shirt and black pants. Two silver earrings in his left ear, the man smiled as two familiar customers entered, their hands interlocked as they bickered.

"Now, what can I get you, you love birds?" Andrew said jokingly, making Julian and Yuuki blush in unison.

"The usual, Agil," the blonde retorted, using the African man's codename.

"Sure," the war veteran responded as he turned around and busied himself with the kettle. As he worked, the couple sat down at one of the four tables in the café. Looking around, Julian sighed as he looked at Dicey Café II's compact layout. The counter had several stools tucked underneath it, countless varieties of coffee beans and pre-made coffee resting on shelves behind the counter. A poster of 7Up scavenged from the surface was pinned against a wall, a vintage jukebox that was recently repaired pushed up against a wall underneath a map of the United States.

"This place is bright as usual, isn't it?" Yuuki said as she stared at Julian's face, resting on head on her hands.

"Yeah, it is," the blonde replied as he turned and looked at Yuuki. Realizing how close their faces were, he backed up, blushing as Yuuki smiled.

"So, how's your work?" The girl asked. Seeing Julian's eyes light up, the purple-haired teen watched, amused as her boyfriend went on discussing his work with a renewed vigor.

"Hmm," Andrew murmured as he finished the coffee for the two. "That should be fine." Glancing behind his shoulder, he saw Julian's eyes filled with energy and let a small smile crawl onto his face. Resting the coffee onto a tray, the man opened a fridge and looked around for a cake he had made especially for the two.

 _"Damnit, it happened again!"_ Hearing a wailing voice, the occupants of Dicey Café II looked away from what they were doing as the source of the noise came closer. Sighing, Andrew rummaged into a cooler nearby and pulled out a beer. As he set it on the bench in front of him, a certain red-haired man dashed into the café, wailing loudly as tears ran down his face. Reaching one of the stools, he sat down immediately before raising his two fingers at the owner with a blank expression on his face. "A beer and 100% Vodka please."

"You never change, do you Ryoutarou?" Chuckling, Andrew grabbed the tray with the coffee and walked over to the two teens before setting the cups down with some sugar and spoons. As he walked back behind the counter, he patted his friend as he wolfed down the beer before setting it on the bench.

"Rejected again?" Yuuki called out from her seat. Watching her elder nod so quick that he nearly got whiplash, she let out a small giggle before giving her full, undivided attention back to Julian.

"You'd think that you would've learned by now." Andrew sat down beside his friend as he popped open a cold one as well. Taking a large mouthful, the African male smiled. "So, who was it this time?"

* * *

"Recon, I'm fine!" Leafa yelled, exasperated, as she slammed her kendo stick into the shirmpy boy's ribs, sending him sprawling onto the blue mat. Groaning, the teenage boy rolled onto his back and breathed heavily.

"B-But," he managed between his breaths.

"I. Am. Fine!" The blonde sighed before adjusting the tight clothes around her chest. Looking around at her surroundings, a cracked training area indicated to the girl that it was recently used by two, extremely skilled fighters. She could take an educated guess at who those two fighters were. Sighing, Leafa looked down at Recon whose breathing had become somewhat steady. Just another, average day on the fortress.

* * *

Kazuto stood up as the bell rang, gaining a few strange looks from the other students. Wearing the same clothes as before had, the teen had created a lot of gossip about his whereabouts before or who he was. The teen, according to the girls, was apparently a former actor or stunt double for an actor, while the guys jealously admired his cool gear before saying that they wouldn't wear clothes like that, even if it cost them their lives. Kazuto couldn't help it though. Why the hell would he wear school clothes for when there were more pressing matters at hand? He couldn't possibly feel comfortable knowing that undead, and other human beings were out to kill him and everybody else. Kazuto had a job to do, and he wasn't going to waste it his second chance at it.

"Kirito! Please marry me!" Ignoring the growing crowd of girls with love-struck eyes and a couple of guys eyeing him, the teen left the classroom before making his way towards the rooftop. Kirito had some trouble getting there, having to hide every now and then from his fellow students, but managed to reach the stairs.

"Finally," he muttered before climbing the stairs. Reaching the door, the teen pushed it open without difficulty before passing through. As the door closed behind him, he spotted a familiar girl sitting at the edge, her legs dangling over the edge as she watched the scenery underneath pass by. Reaching where she was, Kirito joined Sinon as he swung his legs gracefully over the edge before sitting down.

"You know," Sinon said softly. "I've always wanted to know how it felt to fly through the sky, to be able to watch the beautiful surroundings pass by while relaxing. But now?" She let out a bitter laugh as the sun's rays of light were covered by a passing cloud. "I'd do anything to be able to live on the ground again."

Kirito stayed silent for a moment, the dark boy feeling the ominous aura surrounding the girl beside him through his own shroud of depression. "Sinon," he said as he raised his hand to rub the girl on the back, only to retract it at the last second. "Did you enjoy your life before the incident?"

Surprised by the question, the girl dove back into her memories as she leaned backwards, holding onto the edge with her hands.

"Well, I suppose it was somewhat average," she admitted. "I went to school like everyone else, though I kept to myself." Smiling as a pleasant memory rose, Kirito felt a small smile of his own tug at the corners of his mouth. "Though, there was this one time in primary school where one of the boys in my class had to dress up as a princess. His mum actually let him grow his hair really long for the part and everyone mistook him as a new, female student when he showed up one day. Can you believe that?" Chuckling at her memory, Kirito couldn't help it anymore. He let out a genuine smile for the first time in a while as he leaned back and looked towards the sky, digging into his own memories.

"Sounds like a boy who would've been popular then," he replied. "Do you remember his name?"

"Well, all I remember was his last name. I think it was Kirigaya or something?" Freezing up, the teen quickly relaxed as his forgotten name was brought up.

"Kirigaya, huh?" Going silent, Sinon turned to the boy with a frown.

"Something wrong?"

"Just thinking. Besides," Kazuto glanced at the girl. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're opening up to me when you've been keeping a respectable distance this whole time?"

"W-Well, that's because..." Ignoring the flustered girl as she struggled to find the words to use, Kazuto laughed, surprising her.

"Come on," he said as he stood up, his feet resting on the edge of the roof as he looked down at the earth. "I want to show you something." Unsure on what he was planning, Sinon stood on the edge as well before she felt a hand on her back. Eyes widening, the teen felt her feet leave the roof as she began a mad descent towards the ground, the air rushing into her face as her ice-blue hair flew backwards.

 _"Kirito! What the fuck!"_ Sinon screamed as said person fell besides her, arms behind his head as he smiled.

"Don't worry," he shouted back. "I've got a plan!"

"Like hell you do!" Tilting her body so she moved towards Kirito, the girl latched onto his body, her arms wrapping around his torso in a vice-like grip.

"Hold on tight!" Kirito smiled as he concentrated. Slowly, shadows oozed out of his body and began to take form of four wings on his back, avoiding Sinon's arms as they grew in length. Soon, the wings began to glow and scatter tiny shards of darkness as the two teens descent to earth was slowly stopped. Coming to a stop in the middle of the air, Kirito began to accelerate as the girl wrapped her arms around the boy even tighter, her eyes shut tight. "You can open your eyes, you know." he said casually. "You aren't going to die."

"Idiot," Sinon muttered. "You can't push someone off a roof then just casually announce you can fly."

"Actually," Kirito scratched his cheek nervously. "This is the first time I've tried flying, so I don't know how long it'll last."

 _"What!"_ The girl made her grip vice-like, practically choking the boy and ridding his lungs of oxygen.

"C-Calm down," he managed to splutter out. "I would've teleported us out if it didn't work."

"Jerk…" Loosening her hold but keeping it firm, the ice-haired teen looked around, admiring the scenery as wind caressed her face, running its hands through her air.

"Should we head back yet?" Kirito asked softly, looking around at the beautiful scenery they passed over.

"A couple more minutes," Sinon murmured. "I want to see just a bit more." The teen smiled and let the girl enjoy the scenery before slowly speeding up so they didn't lag behind the fortress, his shadow wings beginning to harden and shine in the light. After letting Sinon enjoy the view for a few minutes, he began to accelerate, slowly reaching the fortress's roof.

"You can let go now," Kirito said jokingly as he reached the roof, hovering a couple of meters above it.

"I'm not an idiot," the girl responded as they touched down. "Thanks for the trip."

"No proble-" Kirito flinched as Sinon punched him in the shoulder. "I suppose I deserve that."

"Yes. you do."

 _"Attention everybody."_ Heathcliff's voice rung out from the stairwell, calm and collected. " _There is an unmarked fortress of similar design approaching, though it is much smaller. Everybody who can fights, I want you to prepare yourselves. This could possibly be an enemy."_ The commander's voice cut off and was replaced with a few seconds of static before becoming silence.

"I thought that this fortress was one of a kind," Kirito muttered.

"According to the commander, after the whole incident, a total of seven ships were created in Japan," Sinon said as she walked towards the doorway. "One was given to politicians and another to rich survivors."

"It's sad how money still play a part, even in a broken country."

"Something we can both agree on."

 _ **BOOM**_

The ground on what they stood shook violently, lurching sideways as the fortress tilted dangerously before another explosion rocked the two teens worlds. Smoke began to rise into the air, and the sounds of screams could be faintly heard.

"Let's go."

* * *

 _(Not for the faint of heart. Turn back now if you're a bitch)_

* * *

The school was a bloodbath. Countless bodies of students were sprawled across the ground, desks, chairs and barely recognizable body parts. Most of the furniture was broken and tossed everywhere with sticky, scarlet blood decorating the vicinity. The lights were flickering badly, making the hallways and rooms dark. Kirito's teeth gritted at the gruesome sight. Crouching down, he examined the body of a schoolgirl and felt his heart nearly explode. It was obvious from first sight that whoever killed her had violated her maidenhood, and the small puddle of creamy liquid only reinforced this. However, the worst part was that the fact that her body was covered in lacerations, not deep enough to kill but enough to hurt, badly, and that most of her head was missing, a boot-sized impression having crushed the skull to nothing. Standing up, Kirito glanced at Sinon, her face covered in shock as she crouched down and hesitantly touched a girl's hand. The teen instantly recognized the blue-haired girl, despite the lack of a stomach and leg.

"Rest in peace, Shiota san," Kirito muttered as he crouched beside the corpse and closed her eyes, using a long-lost honorific. Ignoring her feeble organs still squirming, the stench of blood was fresh as the teen stood up. A red haze covered his sight, but he quickly pushed it aside.

"Who could've done this?" Glancing at Sinon, Kirito saw the stress she was in. Sure, the girl had been subjected to death a multitude of times, but that was when they were on the surface. Here, innocent lives with no way of self-defense were raped and murdered. Standing up, Sinon's eyes hardened to a point where even diamonds would be jealous.

Together, the two-continued walking through the hallway, wary of opponents as they saw their enemy's handiwork. In some places, bodies of students were decapitated, or they were gruesomely tortured. Some even just had fist-sized or boot-sized marks in the body where somebody smashed through their bones and organs. Walking into the cafeteria, Kirito and Sinon simultaneously froze as a white banner stained forever red was hanging up across the room. Two bodies, a girl and a boy were hanging on either side of the room with a crude organ noose, their guts missing. Their internal organs flopped out of the bodies, merely connected by twines of muscle and veins. However, the most disturbing factor was that their intestines were stretched towards each other, interlocked and twisted into a knot in the center of the room as the organ slowly teared, letting flesh slowly fall to the ground with a thud with drops of blood following.

"Wait for me outside," Kirito said gently as he pushed the girl back out the cafeteria doors. As they automatically shut, he heard Sinon cough and gag as the food she ate earlier escaped. Adding bile to the stench of blood, piss and shit, the teen walked further into the room as he looked for any clues. Mutilated bodies of countless girls and boys littered the tables with some bodies having been forcefully thrown into walls, resulting in a blood stump for a head. Eyeing the walls, he saw nothing then looked up at the ceiling, only for a drop of blood to hit his nose. Frowning, Kirito wiped it off and examined the ceiling, only for a stampede of emotions to begin ripping at his heart. His pulse got quicker as anger, hatred, repulsion, sadness and grief erupted inside his chest. Whipping around, the teen wasted no time as he left the cafeteria. Grabbing Sinon's wrist, he ignored her protests as he teleported them into the main area of the fortress.

* * *

"What the hell?" Sinon muttered as she pulled a hidden dagger out from underneath her skirt. As she went to join the others, Kirito grabbed her wrist and shook his head as the enemy force laughed manically.

"Calm down," Kirito muttered to himself. The man-made beach resort was no longer lively, and instead of being used for fun, it was now a battleground. Heathcliff stood on one side with a small force of twenty soldiers, all armed with guns and medieval weapons, while a force of at least two-hundred strong men and women with unknown weapons and cloaks of ranging colors stood opposite.

"Surrender now, and you won't get hurt." Heathcliff's calm voice sounded condescending as Laughing Coffin leered at the older man.

"Excuse me gramps," one of the members sneered. "If you haven't noticed, we are _literally_ fucking this fortress with our own." Making thrusting motions towards Heathcliff, the enemies guild burst into laughter while the commander sighed. "So, you may want to reword your sentence there bud, or me and the lads are gonna have to skullfuck ya!"

"Prepare yourselves," Heathcliff muttered as he raised his hand.

"Would you look at that?" Another Laughing Coffin member laughed. "They actually want to fight?" Looking around, the man looked at his comrades as they joined in the laughter. "Well, since you're so eager, I may as well show you what we caught. Bring her forward!"

"Bring who?" Sinon muttered before her eyes widened in shock as she fell to her knees, the surprise stealing her strength.

Kirito felt the beast inside him growl dangerously, his mental state on the tip of falling into the abyss. Asuna was dragged forwards, unconscious as she was dangled helplessly in the air by magic. Her school clothes were ripped and torn, leaving dangerous amounts of skin showing as the men and women leered at her. Watching on, one of Laughing Coffin raised their hand, but just before his hand reached her breast, Kirito felt himself fall off the border as some of his old powers returned. As one of his eight seals broke, the teen's thought process disappeared as he disappeared. Within an instant, half of Laughing Coffin's forces were split in half, their torso's flying into sky as their organs remained intact from the speed. With no time to react, Kirito's black blade danced its midnight dance, the nightmare itself slashing and lacerating the enemies. Scarlet blood flew into the air alongside limbs, only for x-shaped slashes and crosses to disintegrate the flesh. In one second, Kirito had vanished, reappeared and destroyed half of an enemy force while managing to catch the chestnut-haired beauty from falling. Violent gusts of wind mixed with pure sand created a dangerous whiplash aura around the teen as he stood up, face devoid of emotion. However, his eyes told a different story.

Setting Asuna down gently with magic, she floated over to Heathcliff who watched on, his jaw set in place through willpower to not look like a fool, though many behind him failed to hide their surprise. Kirito was swift and efficient, not leaving behind a trace to remember the enemies, yet his methods were brutal, sparing no mercy.

"Just who do you-!" The man didn't even finish his sentence as Kirito went to work. With one horizontal strike, he decapitated the remaining enemies, their heads flying into the air. Before they even went a meter into the sky, the teen's body moved at extreme speeds. A diagonal slash from the bottom right to top left followed by a mirrored strike on the opposite side, a cross made of pure strength forced the air into vicious blades. The blades reached their targets and decimated the remaining corpses which had barely moved after the decapitation. As the bodies exploded into gore, leaving a bloody mess, Kirito's arm moved quickly. With swift, fluid motions, he cut the heads mercilessly until it rained crimson, soaking the ground in front of him. As he dispersed his nightmarish blade, a sudden explosion rocked the ship as red lights flashed in the area.

"Everyone, brace for impact!" Heathcliff's warning spurred people into action, taking their minds off the blood bath in front of them. As everyone raced towards something solid, a gigantic hunk of metal tore away from the fortress, revealing their quick descent down to earth. Kirito said nothing as he walked towards the gaping hole, stopping at the edge. Summoning his sword, he thrusted it into the metal with ease before rotating it 90°. Placing both hands on the hilt, the teen focused, a dark and mysterious aura surrounded him. As his clothes began to rise from the power he showcased, Kirito opened his eyes as Laughing Coffin's ship raced towards the earth. With his enhanced vision, he spotted the one person he hated the most standing calmly behind a glass window.

 _Poh_

An inhumane growl vibrated deep inside his throat as the enemy fortress exploded, but he knew better. Countless parachutes were hidden in the smoke, but the teen had more pressing matters to attend. Concentrating, Kirito pushed aside his anger as he summoned a large portion of his current powers. Underneath the fortress, swamps of shadows swarmed the underside, supporting the falling masterpiece. Guiding the darkness, it slowed down the ship's descent as he redirected it towards a lush mountain, ignoring the state of the fortress. Eventually, the ship crashed into the face of the mountain, sending everything inside flying everywhere. Sinon clung onto the bar stool that was imbedded in the ground as her eyes widened at a certain someone's power. Kirito, the person they came across not too long ago, destroyed a force of two-hundred men strong and then used his magic to save everyone on the ship. If that didn't demand respect, then the girl didn't know what did. He easily had the power to destroy everything in his path and he did it so effortlessly.

"Damnit." Kirito gritted his teeth as he held onto his sword, stones from the mountain exploding outwards from the explosive impact. Ignoring the flying debris around him, the teen once again focused as he created shadows to protect the ship from more external and possible internal damage. As the fortress buried itself further into the mountain-top, Kirito winced as he heard an explosion, the inside of the mountain possibly collapsing on a generator of a sort. Eventually, his magic worked, and the fortress stopped digging its burial site. Sighing, Kirito let his sword disappear before jumping out of the ship. Warping forwards into the light, the teen covered his eyes before turning around. The former grand fortress dangled inside of the new cavern it had just formed, sparks and flames lighting up the dark area, ruining the once beautiful mountain. Glancing behind, the teen narrowed his eyes as he activated one of his powers. While controlling darkness seemed pretty straightforward, the use of its powers can be seen in different perspectives. Controlling darkness/shadows could refer to the evil or ill intent in others, being able to manipulate that into what they will. It could also refer to being able to see all evil in a person's heart that could be projected into an aura.

"Kirito." Heathcliff gained his attention, a frown on his face as the teen faced him. "Was all that bloodshed necessary?"

"It was the easiest way to deal with rapists and murderers," Kirito shot back, his voice cold. "Besides, I stopped innocent men from shedding blood. So, if you're done talking to me about my methods, I'd advise you set up a perimeter instantly. Laughing Coffin is spread out in the forest," the teen pointed his thumb at the exotic forest. "From what I could tell, they've got a lot of weapons, and there's a couple of undead as well."

"Very well." Turning around, Heathcliff watched as everybody evacuated the ship and stood silently, the mood morbid. As he addressed the people, Kirito melted into the shadows before teleporting back into his room. Quickly grabbing his duffel bag, he opened the wardrobe before quickly shoving everything he needed inside. Coats, shirts, jeans, boots; anything that could prove essential was placed into the black bag which seemed endless, which it was. Having power of shadows, Kirito could store objects in the void in which he drew power from. Finishing with the clothes, he walked into the kitchen with the bag and began repeating the process, this time with canned goods. Finally, the teen zipped the bag up before tossing it into the air, making it vanish into shadows as smoke began to fill the room.

* * *

 _One Week Later_

Life was well. First she lost Shiota, and then Asuna was nearly sexually assaulted. Sinon frowned as she cocked the bolt on her sniper rifle before aiming in. As her sights aligned with the enemy's head, she pulled the trigger, the bark of her sniper rifle making her ears ring. As her target fell, countless more replaced the fallen undead as she growled.

"Keep attacking!" Hearing Heathcliff's shout of defiance, the teen shot to her feet before sprinting down the mountain-top. Quickly falling into a slide, the girl took aim and let loose multiple shots that took down Laughing Coffin members and undead alike; not that she could tell anyway. They were all wearing cloaks that hid their identity. Ignoring the massive graze on her leg, she leaped forwards and fell into a rough roll before coming to a stop at the base of the mountain. Finally regaining control, she knelt on one knee as she brought her sniper back up to her shoulder. Men and women alike were pushing forwards through the burning, toppled remains of the wooden fence they had hastily created, attacking Laughing Coffin and the undead they brought with them. However, despite their best efforts, the sudden attack had left large causalities on both sides, both from normal humans and ones who could control the mana inside their body. Snarling, Sinon let out some of her resentment from the past week out as she shot faster and more accurately. The girl wasn't known as the best marksman for no reason. Her weapon constantly barked, mixing in with the sounds of combat.

"You're doing fine," Kirito noted as he walked up beside her, hands in pockets.

"Why don't you do something useful for once?" Sinon managed to spit out as she reloaded.

"Something useful?" The teen snatched a dagger out of the air that was aimed at the girl's head. Casually tossing it back, the blade returned itself into its sender's throat. As the man gargled to death, Kirito sighed. "I've done lots of useful things this week. I helped make the fence and the magic barrier. I found the food and made the cave a safer place to live in. I'd say that I've done a lot of useful things, but what have _you_ done?"

"Shut it." Running out of ammo, Sinon threw it at Kirito who merely frowned before placing the stock into his shoulder. Aiming down the sights, the girl was surprised to see bullets of shadows come flying out of the barrel, killing the enemies. Holding the rifle in one hand, the teen formed a shadow bow with a string made of pure energy. Passing it to Sinon, she shrunk away at the touch, but accepted it when she saw Kirito's eyes.

"Sorry if it's cold, but you'll have to get used to it." Ripping the scope off to Sinon's horror, the teen began to shoot everything a lot faster. "Pull on the bowstring and an arrow will form. Simple as that, and don't worry about how many arrows you have." Leaving the girl to her own devices, Kirito strode forward, left hand holding the rifle and right hand holding shadow daggers. Easily decimating enemies with bullets, the teen hurled the daggers at more enemies before more materialized in between his fingers.

"Let's try this," Sinon muttered as she pulled on the bowstring in an unorthodox way, two fingers on the string with her thumb, the back of her hand nearly pressing against her cheek. Releasing the intricate arrow, it left a glittery trail of darkness before it hit an undead in the chest. Upon burying itself deep in its chest, it convulsed violently as a bright purple glow grew brighter with every nanosecond. Within the instant, the arrow exploded, sending shambled limbs and organs everywhere. Instead of basking in the power like a fool, Sinon got to work. Sprinting to the battlefield, she soon was back-to-back with the commander, firing off arrows like a maniac. As the fight raged on, Sinon lost count of how many undead and humans she took down, losing herself to the rhythm of battle as her muscles screamed at the her to stop. Eventually, the battle was over, and the field was littered with bloodstained corpses; both friend and foe. Sinon let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as Heathcliff did the same. The commander was stressed, only revealing it when he was tired.

"Commander!" A shrill shout caught Heathcliff's attention. Turning around, he was about to wave off the man's worries, but stopped when he saw the grief in his eyes. Before he could speak, the man traced where the person came from before immediately rushing towards the cavern, leaving Sinon behind. Stopping in the cavern, Heathcliff averted his eyes as he felt an overwhelming wave of despair cross his heart. As Sinon entered, her footsteps quickly stopped as she fell to her knees, eyes wide in shock.

"Laughing Coffin were burrowing underneath us," Kirito muttered as he walked in. Stopping by a body, he crouched down and placed his fingers on a corpses neck before muttering a prayer to the dead. Closing the woman's eyes, he did the same for the infant in her arms, but not before cleaning their faces of blood. "When I pushed forward, I found the tunnel and collapsed it on them before returning." Standing up, he walked over to more bodies, repeating the same ritual for them. "We need to burn the bodies, otherwise there's a chance they might reincarnate as a body for souls possess."

"What about their family?" Sinon murmured, her voice faint and weak.

"Of course. They can see the bodies first, but it's necessary that we do this." Giving her a sad smile, Kirito felt his heart pain at the sight of the mutilated, violated corpses sprawled everywhere. Lacerations covered the bodies alongside large bite marks, and some bodies were already beginning to be possessed by spirits. Gathering some dark mana in his hand, the teen forced everywhere spirit away before sighing. "I was wrong about this magic stuff. It isn't confined to anything, it's just a separate entity." Unaware that he was thinking aloud, he moved forward, wiping off any sign of blood and closing eyes of the fallen before leaving with a respectful prayer for safe passage.

* * *

"Over 75% of the people have passed." Heathcliff waved away the man as he let out a silent groan. How could he have let this happen? Was it his lack of participation? Or the fact that he pushed his duties onto others? Swiping aside his doubts, the leader stepped outside of the cavern and faced the survivors.

"The loss of today was unexpected," he began slowly, voice full of sadness. "The enemy was crafty and surprised us. However, we survived, but there's a problem." Looking at the grieving people, Heathcliff felt terrible for having to say the next part, but their survival was necessary for the future of humanity. "We need to move on. Tomorrow by around midday, everyone is to have gathered as many essentials as possible from the fortress and have said their goodbyes to the deceased. It pains me to say this, but we need to travel on foot from now, and the risk of danger has now skyrocketed. Bandits, undead…" He let those words sink into their minds. "Anyone who is capable of learning on how to fight will learn, whether it be magic or physical weapons." Pumping his fist into the air, many followed Heathcliff's example. "For the survival of Humanity!"

"Humanity!"

As they all chorused back at their leader, Kirito sighed. He was quickly learning more about magic and how infinite the possibilities were. Theoretically, magic users were people who could access the mana in their body and the mana in the air. Whatever Heathcliff told him earlier was what they could limit to the human mind, but Kirito didn't have a regular mind. Being able to access the mana allowed people to rejuvenate their bodies and live longer while having a stronger mind. It also allowed the impossible to happen, breaking logical reasoning and replacing it with its own. The first, unspoken rule of magic he had learned was that magic had no limits, and was not restricted to types. In reality, anything that is within and breaks logical reasoning can be turned into magic. So, when Kirito had learned to create a large-scale barrier that hid their location and stopped any noise from escaping, he was pleased.

"Thanks for the bow," the teen heard Sinon say, breaking him out of his train of thought. "And," she hesitated to say the words before sighing. "And for saving my life as well. If you weren't there, then I most likely would've…" The girl let the sentence remain unspoken.

"Do you still have the bow?" Kirito turned and faced Sinon.

"Ahh, no," she admitted. "After everything happened, I felt weak and it disappeared."

"I see." Taking her hand, Sinon gasped. Kirito traced a strange, unique symbol on the back of her left hand, making her blush. His skin was soft and seemed to tickle her hand.

"There you go," the teen said. "When you need the bow, just think of how it looks, and it should materialize. Just be careful though. It uses your mana."

 _SMACK_

"Say something next time!" Sinon growled before storming off. Kirito merely glanced at her, confused, until he realized he had touched her without permission. At the same time, the two felt the crimson blush spread onto their faces before shaking it off. They both had a job to do, and they would do it.

* * *

A couple of days had passed, and they were doing terribly. Within the first day of leaving with practically everything (Kirito decided to just store everything), bandits had attacked, splitting the remaining survivors in half. After spending a few hours of searching, Sinon managed to find the pillaged, sexually abused bodies before they moved on. During daytime, Kirito would sleep and be carried around, but during nighttime, he stayed active and kept the barrier up as the others rested. The second day wasn't any better as a horde of rank one and two undead attacked, killing over half of the survivors and wounding a small portion. The third day went without a hitch, but the fourth day was the worst. Some of the remaining people snapped and went insane, murdering as many people as possible before escaping into the forest. Eventually, it was just Kirito, Heathcliff, Julian, Sinon, Asuna, Leafa, Silica, Liz, Yuuki, Agil, Klein and a couple of men and women with some children.

"Stay here," Kirito said as he waved everyone back. Nodding, Heathcliff ordered everyone to lay low as the teen walked towards the cliff edge they were at. Peering down and seeing nothing, he tried one of the new tricks with magic he had learned. Creating a circle of shadows around his eye, complicated symbols rotated in a circle as they enhanced his vision. A large, crystal-clear lake lay still below the cliff, spanning out larger than two Olympic-sized pools. Looking around more, he spotted a large clearing in where a single log cabin stood alone, the forest spanning outwards. Waving Heathcliff over, he formed a magic binocular for him to look through.

"I see," the man muttered, not even fazed. "This area is a safe haven in a way. It's surrounded by the mountains and there's a forest that leads into the area. If we can get there, we'll be able to set up another base."

"Look there." Following Kirito's finger, Heathcliff frowned as he saw a person walking around countless undead, not even phased.

"I'll deal with him," he began to say, only for Kirito to shake his head.

"Your people need you," he explained. "Lead them to that clearing. I'll face the undead." Before Heathcliff could respond, Kirito calmly stepped off the edge of the cliff before disappearing.

"Uh, commander," Yuuki said nervously. "I know some of us went insane, but... why did he just walk off the edge?'

"He'll be fine," he sighed. "Come on people, we gotta get moving."

* * *

Kirito had never felt more alive than before as he hurtled towards the lake. With nothing to stop him, the teen felt like he was actually in control of his life for the first time in years. Unfortunately, he wasn't here for the thrills. Flipping in the air, his boot touched the water before he flew forwards, wings glowing on his back. Darting towards the undead, he summoned his black blade again, showcasing his midnight dance once again. The tip of the blade severed throats and decapitated torsos from the waist; the nightmare enjoying the fear created in the simplest of entities. Finishing his dance, midnight was mixed with scarlet as Kirito faced the unmoving undead. White hair that reached just above his eyes, it suited the passive, unmoving violet eyes on the pale face. A skin-tight black turtleneck reach halfway up its neck with a black jacket zipped just above halfway. Matching jeans and boots also adorned the undead.

"So, who are you?" The undead asked weakly.

"I'm here to kill you, unless you have a reason why I shouldn't."

"K-Kill?" The white-haired man fell backwards onto the sand before trying to scramble away, waving one hand frantically. "Why would you want to kill me?"

"Because you're a spirit that has possessed a corpse," Kirito replied.

"So that's what happened," he muttered. After a few seconds, he stood up and smiled meekly. "Well, I know I'm in no position to ask this, but would you mind explaining everything to me?"

* * *

 **Oh, would you look at that. A long time without updating** _ **and**_ **something that is somewhat a cliffhanger. I am a terrible human being…**

 **Annnyyway, sorry about the huge delay within the chapters. Right now, I'm writing down whenever I have an idea for a story and I slowly (but eventually) start writing the chapter. Pretty much, if I have motivation for a story, then that's what most like is going to be updated next. Also, no set plan for updates, but I'll try my best to upload a new chapter at least once every two months. It's not a promise, but I'll try.**

 **Drop a review, it's what keeps fanfics alive. Also, feel free to ask questions and leave constructive reviews as well. I'll try to answer when I can.**

 **-Striderm8**

 **Also, if those wondering, the undead at the end? Try and guess who I'm trying to describe.**


	4. Boy Or Girl?

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **Read the author's notes at the bottom before losing your shit. I literally have an explanation for everything, so PM or something so I can explain.**

* * *

"Why explain anything to a lost soul that I'm going to kill?" Kirito stated as he edged closer, sword by his side. "What can you do to earn my trust?"

"Trust?" The undead fidgeted nervously. "How about I let you stay in my home then?"

"That's just straight up shady." Sighing, Kirito eased up as he stood up straight. "What's your eye color?"

"Silver."

"Then why are they purple right now?"

"Purple?" The teen chuckled. "That's because I changed it so people wouldn't suspect me of being an undead. You see all those corpses around us?" Kirito nodded cautiously. "Well, a couple of days ago, some of those things came in and infected one of the people who lived here." The unknown teen sighed. "I'm passive in nature, but since I returned from the dead, I lose control of my body whenever I'm pushed to the edge. The people who lived here thought I just wore contacts, but when they figured out what I was, they blamed me for the infected person. They tortured me, and I lost control."

"Well," Kirito sighed as his sword disappeared. "I looked into you, and you don't have any malicious intent so I'm guessing that you're a good person, despite your current state." Creating a chair out of shadows, to his surprise, worked, he sat down. "My gut says to trust you, and I've relied on it for a long time. Besides, I need you to tell me all about your past. How did you return to the world of living?"

"Living? Hmm…" The teen tapped his foot in the ground as he immersed himself in his thoughts. "Well, I remember walking in the streets of Kyoto when my vision suddenly went black. After that, my body felt extremely light, but I couldn't move. It was like my soul was tethered to something. After some time floating there, I felt something ripping at my chest. I open my eyes, and boom! I'm alive again, but in a different body."

"I suppose that's good enough for now." Standing up, the chair dispersed as Kirito held out his hand for the undead to shake. "My name is Kirito, what's yours?"

"Kaneki."

"Isn't that from Tokyo Ghoul?"

"You know what Tokyo Ghoul is?" The undead fell to the ground, weeping anime tears of joy as Kirito just sighed. Eventually, the white-haired teen stopped before standing up again, wiping away a rouge tear. "To tell you the truth, I don't really remember my name. After all this craziness, I haven't bothered with a name. If you like, you can make one for me."

"Fine," the jet-black haired teen sighed. "Anyway, some people I'm with will be here soon, so don't try anything suspicious. If you do, you _will_ die."

"Gotcha."

"Also, your new name is Hiroto."

"Really?"

* * *

Kirito watched from a distance as all the survivors warily made their camp in their new home. Heathcliff was in the center of all the talk, directing Yuuki and her friends to help set up tents and campfires whilst asking the men and women with their children to look for food in the surrounding forest with the help of Klein and Sinon. The teen watched as Hiroto emerged from the single log cabin, an abundance of firewood in his arms. As the white-haired undead struggled to make his way towards Heathcliff, a few pieces of wood fell from his arms, only to be picked up by a child who smiled at him.

"They're doing fine," Kirito muttered to himself as he stood up before wiping the sand off his clothes. Walking over to Heathcliff, he let out a small smile as everyone worked together as a tiny community, pushing aside their grief for the fallen. Reaching the commander, Kirito patted him on the back before standing beside him, watching over everybody.

"Kirito," Heathcliff muttered without turning around. "Are you sure we can trust that undead? I'm a tad bit skeptical."

"For now," the teen responded. "Just make sure nobody pushes him physically, mentally or spiritually. Hiroto loses control when people push him too far."

"Hiroto?" The elder man raised an eyebrow before chuckling to himself. "A very creative name if I must say." Kirito bared his teeth at Heathcliff, making his laughter louder. "Anyway, Sinon and Klein and have formed a border in the forest. They've managed to form a wooden fence and Klein managed to form a magic barrier as well. Would you be able to go check it out later?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll go do it now." Walking away from the commander, the teen made his way towards the forest, losing himself in his thoughts as he did. Wandering through Kazuto Kirigaya's mind was a dangerous place. That's why Kirito existed; a façade, a wall, a mask to protect himself from the horrors he had seen. His mum, dad… Even his cousin and S-Sachi. Oh gods, Sachi…

Kirito choked up as a tear threatened to slide down his face. Stopping by a tree, the teen pressed his head against the bark as his dark memories resurfaced.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _His vision stained red, Kirito scrambled backwards, whimpering as he watched Sachi's body slowly rise into the sky, her legs stuck together by her own sticky blood and her arms held outwards as if her body was the cross. The girl's eyes had rolled into the back of her head, showing nothing but white as scarlet liquid leaked from her cornea, trailing down her pale skin as it joined the small streaks that ran from her nostrils and half-missing mouth. Her jaw unhinged, Sachi managed to give Kirito a sad smile that spoke a message as the teen watched on in horror, paralyzed from fear as all the girl's ripped, torn clothes parted to reveal her naked, lacerated, mutilated body. Unable to do anything, the boy watched on as his girlfriend's wounds leaked blood, watching it cascade like a waterfall as her lacerations grew into crevice's which turned into canyons. Soon, Sachi's body was torn apart by countless blades held by vines, her arms and legs being ripped apart effortlessly as her stomach was cut open, letting her entrails slowly fall out before her torso was cut clean in half, organs mixed with bile flying into the air before combusting into a bloody explosion of human flesh. Her chest, airborne, lasted for a second before disintegrating into a fine mesh of crimson. Soon, all that was left was Sachi's head which slowly rolled to a stop at Kirito's feet, a sad smile on her mutilated face._

…

 _It's not your fault_

* * *

 _Present_

"Bullshit it isn't," Kirito muttered before sighing. Pushing himself off the tree, the teen made his way towards what he assumed was the border that had been set up before realizing something. "Wait a second… Why is my voice so... girly?" Looking down at his chest, Kirito nearly fainted from shock as he saw what was present.

Boobs, and a fair size at that. Judging from what he could see, Kirito guessed that they were around Asuna's size, but just a tad bit smaller. Wait, why was he comparing them?

…

"Fuck." That's right, the teen remembered why this happened. He was genderfluid. Kirito- no, Kiriko quickly glanced around to make sure nobody was around before sighing. Met with nothing, the teen opened up her little pocket dimension where she had stored everything. It was pretty much a pocket dimension, even thought it was in the void. Glancing around once again, Kiriko reached into the portal with her arm before bringing out similar clothes to what she was wearing. Quickly pulling off her male clothes, the teen found herself naked in the forest before quickly pulling on her underwear and bra followed by a black tank-top. Comfortable jeans were quickly buckled up by a belt before Kiriko hesitated between a black hoodie and her coat, only to shrug on her coat so that the others would recognize it.

"Kirito!" Hearing Sinon's voice, the teen froze up, unmoving as the ice-haired girl reached her. "Hey, are you… alright?" Feeling the girl's concerned gaze on his back, Kiriko slowly turned around with her hands up in surrender.

"H-Hey, Sinon," she stammered. "I can explain everything, so please don't shoot me."

 _BANG_

* * *

"God, where am I?" Kiriko blinked rapidly as her vision blurred and faded in and out, the light failing to reveal her surroundings.

"Why, hello Kiriko," Heathcliff said from somewhere in front of the gender-fluid girl. "Glad to see that you're up." Rubbing at her eyes, the teen finally managed to see what was around her as she rubbed her head, the pain lingering like a phantom. A neat log cabin with a simple bed pushed in the corner with a fireplace, a hammock was also present with a table in the center with countless scrolls of paper open. A bookshelf was against a wall, a chest partly open beside it, the contents hidden by the lack of light.

"Sup, Heathcliff," the teenager replied. "So, why am I here?"

"Ah, that." The man chuckled slightly as he stood up. "You gave Sinon quite the fright and she knocked you out with a bat."

"That explains why my head feels like it's about to explode." Sighing, Kiriko got up from the floor and walked towards the door, her hand resting on the knob before she stopped. "Did you tell her why I'm like this?"

"No," the commander replied as he walked over. "I decided that it was best for you to explain why."

"Gee, thanks," Kiriko grumbled. "Make my life that much harder."

"I'm going to address the people on our future plans of action," Heathcliff said, ignoring the girl's complaints before he exited the building. Kiriko waved off her elder before letting out a yawn, despite being put out of action for a couple of hours. Glancing outside, the sun, before Kiriko was knocked out, was directly above everything, but now was beginning to set in the distance. Sighing, Kiriko walked out of the cabin as Heathcliff gained the survivors attention. Making her way towards him, she stopped in the commander's shadow, hiding herself from the others as he finished informing everybody of their new jobs. Taking a deep breath, a heavy sigh escaped her mouth before the girl stepped out from the shadow, shocking everybody assembled.

"You!" Eyes whipping to the source, Kiriko flinched as Sinon snarled. "What did you do with Kirito?"

"At ease," Heathcliff's calm voice washed over everybody, soothing their nerves. "Kiriko will explain."

"Kiriko?"

"Hi everybody," the teen said, scratching her cheek nervously. "As Heathcliff just said, my name is Kiriko, but I'm also Kirito as well."

". . ."

" _NNNAAANNNIIII?"_

"What the… _TRAP!"_

"Explain," Yuuki glared at the girl, making her gulp nervously.

"Well," Kiriko said as she wrung her hands behind her back. "No one knew about this except for Heathcliff, but… I'm genderfluid." Seeing everyone's faces, the girl quickly waved her hands in front of her, blushing furious. "I'm not like this because I want to be! Ever since I could use magic, I'd sometimes just find myself in what seemed like a different body. It was weird at first, but I eventually got used to it. Now, I just randomly find myself as a boy or girl, so if you see me or my male version, don't be alarmed."

"I suppose..."

"After magic became a thing, why is this so surprising?"

"Heh, just don't try doing anything."

After the reluctant murmurs and uneasy shrugs passed, Kiriko managed to slip away from the prying eyes of the curious survivors. Sighing, she walked off into the forest for some alone time, the past days events slowly beginning to take a toll on her body.

* * *

PoH was happy. Delighted, even. The look on Kirito's face as his ship sunk down to the earth was absolute bliss. Still, he had work to do. Looking down at the table in his workshop, detailed blueprints and plans were spread out, all overlapping with each other. Heathcliff's fortress, the dubbed _Tank_ had been eliminated alongside his own. Now, only five fortresses remained out of the seven that were orginally created.

"Boss." Not even bothering to glance behind him, PoH knew who was behind him. Red Eyed XaXa, an undead lvl 3. Despite his ranking, XaXa was an intelligent human, and that intelligence remained when PoH turned him _willingly_ into one of his subordinates.

"What is it?"

"We've found where the survivors are." Stopping for a moment, a smile creeped onto PoH's face as he straightened up.

"Gather everybody. I want two men to scout the place out tonight. In two days we roll out."

"Gotcha boss." Walking past XaXa, PoH's smile never left his face as he walked out of the destroyed ship, the sunlight not even daring to touch his body. As he stood there, he licked his lips slowly, preparing himself for the rush of europhia that would overwhelm his body the moment he found his prey.

"It's showtime."

* * *

 **Some of you may be mad with some decisions I made with the story regarding this chapter, but guess what? I. Don't. Care. Simple as that. Actually, I do care, but not enough to stop you from taking action. Anyway, leave your thoughts after reading the chapter, and don't leave some rambling mess that doesn't make sense, actually think your answer through and make a thorough, analytical response.**

…

 **Meh, just leave a review with your thoughts, I don't mind what you all have to say.**

 **Also...**

 **Kirito is gender-fluid because of his powers being related to the void. Because the void is infinite and has no bounds, Kirito's gender changes randomly, but occurs rarely. He usually is a guy most of the time which is his prime state for fighting/physical confrontations. As a girl, he focuses more on magic but is just as athletic.**

 **In the past, when he came to school looking like a girl, it was because he** _ **was**_ **a girl. Kirito had his powers for an extremely long time but didn't know. His father liked to experiment on him, and did one in secret behind his mother. Because of this, Kirito randomly became a girl, so he explained it to everyone that his hair just grew extremely long due to a rare deficiency in his genes, leading to spontaneous hair growth. His father was a deranged scientist so was mentally fucked, but of course, nobody knew this.**

 **Also, regarding the short chapter... I'm kinda under pressure trying to write a chapter for all my stories so yeah... The next chapter will be back to normal length sizes, but updates will be slow, maybe even** _ **extremely**_ **slow. I'm also** _ **kinda**_ **suffering from writer's block. I know where I'm going/taking this story, just having trouble actually writing it down and getting motivation. Motivation is a HUGE FACTOR when I write as well.**

 **Apologies, roast my lazy, procrastinating ass all you want but hey, I don't mind.**

 **Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for anybody who made it this far.**

 **\- Striderm8**


	5. PoH's Demise

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **Sorry about the spam of notications, I went back and deleted every chapter so I could rename the first one. Also, new pic for story! The pic is straight from Last Stand which was my inspiration for writing this story, though the pic might go back to the original one soon. Not sure yet.**

 **WARNING: SHIT'S GONNA GET DARK REAL QUICK. MAYBE NOT THIS CHAPTER, BUT SOON.**

 **PS – Thanks Den3432 for The Wolf. You've given me some ideas that are definitely going to show soon.**

* * *

 **Riddick - There are bad days, and then there are legendary bad days**

* * *

Days passed and night fell, clouds hovering around the moon but never blocking its rays of light as if they were scared of it. Despite the hooting of owls and chirping of crickets, everybody was on alert, people slowly strolling around their new haven as if scared of something. But of course, there was a reason for their unease.

 **Laughing Coffin**

A member had stumbled upon their tents before being surrounded by half of the fighters' present. Without remorse, his throat was cut, and then he was burnt until unrecognizable, everybody silent except for the slight crackling of the wood burning. Soon, everybody sighed with relief as nobody showed up before retreating into their tents. But they were foolish. This was a prelude to their destruction.

"Boss," a cloaked man said as he approached PoH, the mastermind silent as he gazed out at the sky. "We found them. Minion One, as you named him, was killed and burned."

"Good," PoH's voice came out smoothly. "Get everybody into position. If all goes to plan, they'll be off guard and die easily."

"Yes sir!"

Tapping on his arm, PoH stood on the edge of his broken ship, arms folded as he began to feel impatient. After all, who wouldn't when you're planning to kill a genderfluid boy?

* * *

Walking by the large pool of water, Kiriko stopped walking before turning, looking down at her reflection. She was slowly reverting back to her usual habits; self-deprecation an avoidance of anything with basic intelligence. As her reflection's eyes met his own, her reflection suddenly moved, it's hand moving up to its neck. Eyes slightly widening, Kiriko watched as her reflection slit its throat, its fingernail coated red as a savage cut appeared on its pale neck.

 _"You still haven't succumbed to me yet,"_ a mysterious voice whispered, her reflection slowly falling forwards, hands clawing at the scarlet liquid that fell from the wound like a waterfall. _"Why won't you let me take over?"_

"I won't ever let you take control," Kiriko muttered. "I don't care if you're from the Underworld, this is **my** body, and **mine** alone."

 _"Hmph. We'll see. The world is meant to see ruin, and you_ _ **will become the Harbinger,**_ _"_ the voice rasped. _"I've done it before, I'm not afraid to do it again."_

"You've failed to control me so far," the girl whispered, her voice barely audible. "You won't succeed now." Not getting a response, Kiriko blinked and her reflection returned, staring blankly back at her. "Heh..." Turning away from the water, the girl walked towards the tents, the moon's light wavering before clouds smothered it, leaving the world it loved in complete darkness, only for the clouds to disperse and the moon to smile.

* * *

"Shift swap." As people casually followed Heathcliff's orders, the red-head sighed before looking around. Seeing a little boy trip over, he hurried over before kneeling.

"You alright kid?" Klein asked.

"It hurstsss," the kid whimpered, holding his knee gingerly as blood began to slowly seep from the gash, dirt covering the raw flesh.

"Here, hold on." As Klein reached into his pocket, he found a large square bandage. Opening it, he placed it carefully on his wound before glancing at the rock that caused it, the stone rough. "There, all better," the red-head said, ruffling the kid's hair. "You're a tough one, so it'll heal fast, okay?"

"T-Thanks Klein!" As the kid slowly stood up, Klein watched him limp over to his father who stood at the entrance, a gun hanging loosely from his chest. As a smile came upon his face, the samurai made his way towards a seat before collapsing into it, wiping away the sweat on his forehead.

'You alright there?" Glancing at Sinon who made her way towards him, Klein let loose a yawn.

"I'm holding up alright," he replied. "What about you?"

"I'm alright," the girl said as she stopped walking, looking up at the moon. "I'm still recovering from the trip here and the massacre on the," she shuddered slightly, "on the way here."

"Hey," Yuuki came bounding forwards before stopping next to Sinon, a visible frown on her face. "Why do you both look so down?"

"Yuuki's right," Kayaba's voice came from behind. As everyone turned around, he gave them a small wave. "Why _do_ you all look so down? The law of this world is that the weak die and the strong survive. It shouldn't be a surprise that those men and women died."

…

"Where the hell did you hear that crap!" Klein shouted as he shot up from his chair, knocking it over in the process. "And more importantly, where the hell have you been? When we made it here, you were nowhere to be seen!"

"I hid," the scientist said calmly. "I followed you all from a distance with a bodyguard that my brother gave me to cover our trails. It wasn't easy, but we eventually made it here. Though, I had to kill him, as he got bitten by a straggler undead that I assumed escaped from the pack that you all fought."

"How do you know that?" Yuuki asked, her voice low. "How do you know that we came across undead?"

"Heathcliff, though I had my own suspicions with all the human body parts laying around."

"Figures..."

* * *

Everything was silent. Something was wrong. Nighttime is never completely silent, and is always occupied with a cricket chirping or an insect buzzing. It was like nature was holding its breathe, waiting for something to happen. The clouds blocked the falling moons vision and the rays of light fizzled out.

Strolling by a dying campfire, Kiriko glanced at the entrance, the same man standing there with his child propped up on his shoulder. As the girl gave them an unseen, small smile, she caught a glimpse of light penetrating through the thicket of trees before she heard a faint whistle and a flash of dull metal.

 _Zing_

 _Zip_

 _Zip_

 _Zip_

Realizing what the sound was, Kiriko whipped towards the man on guard before darting forwards, only for her foot to get caught on a wire. As she barely stopped herself from tripping, the teen could only hopelessly watch as the man clutched onto his son's leg tight as he took a step back, a scarlet stain beginning to seep through his shirt. Soon, more bullets pierced his flesh as he stumbled backwards, still holding tight onto the child as he asked his father what was wrong, tears streaming down his face as he coughed violently, blood erupting out as it seeped from his wounds.

 _ **Hssssssss**_

"No..." Kiriko muttered before glaring at the darkness. "NO!" Pushing herself up in one fluid motion, the girl darted forwards and was halfway to the man before-

"Parties over, bitches!"

 **BOOM**

As the sound of a shotgun blasted, time seemed to slow down as pellets penetrated before bursting through the man's torso, sending him flying as chunks of his flesh dropped to the ground, a scream of pain as the child went flying. As Kiriko caught the child, time resumed its normal pace as the man gagged before dying, the bottom-right side of his torso mutilated as a smokescreen slowly hazed into existence.

"Heh, what a lousy guard," a voice said as he pumped his weapon, a click as the chamber emptied the bullet. "This is pathetic if this is Heathcliff's men."

"Now, now," another voice said as Kiriko forced the child to run to the others. "From what we've seen, his forces have been decimated ever since the fortress crashed." As LC members began walking forwards, the teen felt pent-up anger begin to boil, her teeth gritted tightly. Solely focusing on their footsteps, she strode forwards into the smokescreen, letting their own cover work against them.

 **They will pay**

Shrieks of fear echoed throughout the forest before being followed by screams of pain, only to suddenly cut off. Flashes from gunfire could be seen from within the smokescreen, showing glimpses of the massacre happening within. Scarlet went airborne and flesh fell, bullets were spent and metal glowed. A nightmarish blade could be heard as a faint whistle before it eviscerated and lacerated its targets, earning fresh screams as the sword relished in the fear it instilled in the former gloating men. Gusts of wind slashed through the smoke, dispersing it before it exploded outwards, revealing the aftermath of the battle.

 _ **Death**_

One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse laughed as it gazed down at the gruesome scene it witnessed, licking its pale lips as it fingered its bony jaw.

From within the entrance to the safe haven, a swamp of blood slowly crawled towards the exit, crimson liquid trying its best to escape the enraged demon they had angered. Scarlet dripped from Kiriko's fingernails as she casually picked out an intestine from her hair and dropped it, spitting out a hunk of flesh as she wiped her mouth. Her clothes were stained crimson as her eyes flashed a deep ruby red as howling emerged from the forest. As the pulverized remains of her victims twitched, countless shadows formed into massive hammers and smashed downwards, completely obliterating the flesh of the former humans, the strength of the blows sending countless droplets of blood airborne before gravity returned it to its proper place.

As the howling grew louder, Kiriko glanced upwards as something pale and red descended upon her. Twitched her hand, the veins popped out as tendrils of shadows emerged from her back before bursting upwards, piercing the countless torsos, heads and limbs that returned from heaven, clearly denied access to the utopia man once seeked. With one fluid motion, the tendrils had a spasm before obliterating the flesh God made with his own hands, destroying the remains from the inside with countless slashes before crushing the human meat without mercy.

Scarlet rain rained down as the howling grew even louder, the blood adding to the already large swamp of red-black liquid. As countless glowing eyes slowly emerged within the dark forest, snarling echoed throughout the forest as metal clunked and men murmured.

"Oh my god..." As Heathcliff and the fighters reached Kiriko, many gagged and released the contents of their stomachs while the others merely averted their gaze from the bloodshed. The teen was still standing in the swamp of blood, her boots drenched as droplets of crimson ran down the length of her hair before making its fated trip to earth.

"Kiriko, are you alright?" Heathcliff asked as he slowly approached, his face unflinching as his boot touched the blood, staining the leather.

"Stay back," she warned, only for the pack to reveal themselves. Matted fur with stains of red, visible gashes and rotten flesh with countless flys feasting, golden eyes glared at the humans as the pack of wolves snarled, their teeth long faded into a disgusting yellow as spit dripped down out of their mouths.

Without a moment to react, they lunged forwards, sprinting forwards as bones cracked and some parts snapped. Watching them approach, Kiriko let them lunge forwards as the tendrils reappeared on her back. As a wolf snarled, its teeth seeking out her teeth, the teen fell forwards, ducking underneath the wolf as it jumped over her to its impending doom.

 _ **Zippp**_

With one clean strike, the shadow slashed through the wolf, slitting it in half before it fell to the ground, its hind lifeless but its head still snarling. Straightening up, Kiriko raised her foot before stomping down, crushing its skull as her shadows speared the remaining wolves around her before obliterating them.

"Slashing them won't kill them," Kiriko said as she reached behind her, catching another wolf in her hand. Tightening her grasp, she pulverized its skull before tossing it away. "You need to destroy their brains, even their skulls at the very least."

"You heard her," Heathcliff said loudly as he spun once before piercing the rabid animal's skull, skewering the beast with the entirety of his sword. "Don't waste any time, and spare no mercy."

With inspiring roars, the small army charged forwards as more wolves burst forwards accompanied by LC members and shambling undead. Kiriko let out a cry as she charged forwards, clashing with three LC members as Heathcliff and the rest reached her, colliding with the enemy force.

* * *

PoH watched from above as the battle reached its end, both sides suffering causalities, though mostly his. Fingering his jaw, a smirk slowly crawled onto his scarred face before he bellowed out in laughter, his followers shifting in unease.

"Good, good," he murmured before turning around. Striding out, he signaled for his men to follow. "Come on, it's time for the curtains to fall."

* * *

Gasping for breath, Klein raised his katana before letting out a war-cry as he swung downwards diagonally, slashing an undead from its shoulder to hip. Kicking the remains away, Yuuki darted in, her blade seeking out a LC member's throat. As he failed to react, the tip pierced his throat as an arrow flew past behind her head, striking a wolf before pinning it to a tree as Sinon tumbled forwards, narrowly avoiding a wild swipe from a blade. Covering her, Leafa let out a cry as she leaped forwards, bringing her blade down in a horizontal strike, neatly lacerating the man's back before Heathcliff barged in, thrusting his shield forwards and sending the man hurtling backwards.

"Look out commander!" As an undead snarled and limped towards Heathcliff's unprotected back, Agil burst in as he grunted, swinging his massive battle-axe up diagonally, sending the undead flying into the sky as its body tore apart violently. Without waiting, the man ducked as Asuna lunged forwards, her rapier being more than show as she glared at the woman that nearly stabbed Agil gurgled, the tip of the blade penetrating through her neck with ease.

"Stay back Silica!" Liz pushed back the brunette before swinging her mace with wild abandon, smashing the wolf in the skull, bones cracking and breaking under the pressure before its body went flying further into the forest.

"L-Look out Liz!" Diving forwards, Silica closed her eyes as she let out a cry, holding the hilt of her dagger with both hands as she desperately stabbed another wolf, making it howl before collapsing.

"Damnit!" Parrying the blade that seeked his throat, Julian felt a cold sweat run down his face as he backed up, his arms quickly getting tired as he tumbled, parried and dodged like a madman as his opponent cackled, clearly deranged.

"Hurry up pretty boy," he laughed as he thrust forwards, nicking the blonde's face, leaving a trail of blood that ran down his jaw. "Resist! I love the ones that can put up a fight!"

"Moron." Narrowing his eyes, Julian's posture and aura suddenly changed as he charged in recklessly. Ducking underneath a quick thrust, he slammed his shoulder into the man's gut. As he gasped for breath, the teen pushed him over before quickly stepping over and thrusting downwards with his sword. Soon, the man gurgled to death before Julian charged forwards, joining the others in their fight as he ignored his wounds.

* * *

"We've got them on the retreat!" Heathcliff shouted, raising his sword high. "Push them back then regroup!"

"Right!"

As the fighting became mere background music, Kiriko stumbled behind a tree before feeling something change inside her chest. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten before opening her eyes.

"I'm back," Kirito muttered before snapping his fingers. Shadows enveloped his body as he entered a shadowy realm. Quickly focusing, tendrils of darkness coated his body before he emerged in his new attire.

Black shirt, black trench coat that reached past his knees and split into two around his waist, countless silver highlights and a strap that ran across his chest to hold the coat together, black pants and boots; Kirito clenched and unclenched his hands as he felt the gloves act as a second skin, his old outfit bringing back nostalgia and good memories mixed with dread and pain.

Walking forwards, the teen emerged back at the swamp of blood which was mostly gone, staining the earth forever red. Striding ahead, he heard fighting and ran forwards, time seemingly make the trip last for minutes when it had been mere seconds. Reaching an opening in the forest, he froze in place as he saw the aftermaths of the battle.

Countless dismembered undead and brutalized LC members were strewn around the forest, limbs and scarlet staining the once green grass. Wolves littered the ground and hung from trees, their respective parts hanging on opposite parts of branches, mere gut muscle keeping the rotten flesh from falling. Men and women from LC lay in different positions, some pinned to trees with arrows between their eyes and some stacked on top of each other. The undead were merely shambled rotten flesh spread across the forest, pulverized and given no chance to return to life as their intestines swung from branches, blood dripping in a slow pattern. Crouching down, Kirito prodded the body of a man from LC, only for his head to come rolling off, eyes rolled to the back of his head as his jaw unhinged.

 **"NNNOOOOOOOO!"**

Head whipping up, Kirito darted forwards, only to find Yuuki slouched on the ground, Sinon's arms around her as the purple-haired girl cried. Heathcliff stood to the side, his tower shield firmly planted as he remained stoic, Asuna sniffling and the rest fighting back tears to little success.

"Julian." Yuuki cried. "Why him? Why?"

Stopping where he was, Kirito barely recognized Yuuki's sobs as she choked on tears. The blonde was pinned to a tree with a massive spear and countless daggers that pierced the trunk. Blood poured from the massive gashes over his body alongside lacerations, the crimson seeping from it like a waterfall as Julian smiled, tears running down his face as he stroked Yuuki's hair slowly before his hand fell limp. As he passed, Kirito walked forwards silently, stopping in front of his corpse. Very slowly, he looked at Yuuki as he placed his hand on the shaft, her eyes filled with tears meeting his void onyx pupils. Nodding in understanding, the girl slowly rose with the support of Sinon and Asuna before placing her hands on the spear. Carefully, they pulled it out before Julian slumped forwards, only for Kirito to catch him. Resting him against the trunk, the teen muttered prayers to the Gods of Death before closing his eyes, the blonde resting peacefully with a smile on his face.

"Someone stay with Yuuki," Kirito said softly as he rose. "Everyone stays in pairs from now on." As they nodded in agreement, the teen walked forwards, only for the rustling of leaves to catch his attention.

"Well, well, well," PoH said as he slowly walked out into the open, adjusting the strap on his glove as his eyes glinted underneath his hood. "It's time for the show to end. Don't you agree, Kirito?"

Everything in the vicinity went silent as four other cloaked figures stepped into the light, ragged olive cloaks hiding their torso and faces, gray pants with straps running up their legs and clean boots making barely any noise on the forest floor.

"You," the teen growled as his aura began to fluctuate, hatred and despair beginning to leak outwards. "I'm going to kill you for what you did." An explosion rocked everyone's vision as darkness began to leak out from Kirito's body. Magical power formed into tendrils of shadows that slithered outwards before going through a spasm. Spikes retracted and the tendrils constantly changed from tentacles to weapons to stalagmites to torture equipment.

"Is his hate for that man that great?" Liz whimpered as she felt an overwhelming pressure wash over her, the others letting out a grunt as it forced them to their knees.

"His magic is out of control," Heathcliff said calmly, not affected by the power on display. "As of now, its fueled by his anger and hatred. It won't discern us as friend or foe and will most likely just attack us if we get to close."

"H-Heh," Klein let out a chuckle. "That's even if we could get close to him."

"H-He's right," Agil managed to say as he struggled to stand, only to collapse onto his knees again. "This pressure is overwhelming, I'm surprised I'm still conscious."

"I don't know what he did," Sinon gasped, her eyes wide as Kirito slowly walked forwards, his body covered in a dangerous, flaming jet-black aura. "But go get that bastard, Kirito."

"Men, stand back," PoH smirked as he strode forwards. "This is between me and that boy." Soon, their respective walks turned into a light job before evolving into a mad dash at the two fighters met halfway.

Laughing, PoH let loose a punch with his right hand, only for Kirito to duck underneath it. Snarling viciously, the teen smashed his fist into PoH's gut, pushing the man back as he laughed even harder. Leaping backwards, the man reached flicked his wrists, daggers sliding out of nowhere before he hurled them. As the six blades hummed in unison, they glowed red before shooting forwards even faster, only for Kirito's tendrils of darkness to snap at them, shattering the metal. The shadows greedily ate the steel before forming a protective barrier in front of their master, shielding the boy from a nasty blow before he returned the favor with an elbow to the chin.

"More!" PoH cackled as he palmed away the teen's fist, making him over-extend. "Show me more of your despair Kirito!" Reaching behind his waist, the man kicked the boy, sending him tumbling into the ground as his hand rested on a handle. With one fluid motion, PoH brought out a massive cleaver from behind him, the simple design stained a light red before it left PoH's hands.

"Tsk!" Getting back to his feet, Kirito stumbled backwards as the cleaver embedded itself in the tree trunk before flipping backwards as PoH leaped forwards, grabbed the cleaver before pursuing. Holding his hand out, the teen felt the familiar weight of his heavy blade and swung it up diagonally. As the vicious slash sought out PoH's torso, the cleaver stopped it in its tracks, metal clanging as the two wasted no time in exchanging strikes. Dodging and tumbling, Kirito constantly escaped the cleaver's path before counterattacking, forcing PoH to stumble backwards before diving to the side.

"He's lost it," Klein muttered, eyes wide open as he watched the fight become a blur, the fighters moving even faster as the sound of metal clashing grew even louder.

 _ **Zipp**_

Leaning backwards, Kirito felt a sharp pain on his cheek as a thin blade hurtled past before embedding itself in a tree. Glaring at PoH, the teen darted forwards and swiped up. Failing to react, PoH grimaced in pain as Kirito's onyx blade embedded itself into his wrist. Pulling it out with a jerk, the boy followed the blow up with a horizontal slash as PoH lacerated the teen across his chest. As his shirt parted and a nasty gash appeared on his chest, a tendril of shadow quickly latched onto the blood, licking the wound before disappearing, the slash healing instantly.

"It seems that you've improved since last time," PoH said as he leaped backwards, only for Kirito to relentlessly pursue him, not giving the man a chance to counterattack as he forced him on the defensive. "However, even if you do kill me and avenge her, you'll never be able to stop what's coming next."

"I don't care," Kirito said, his voice filled with anger despite being flat. "I'll avenge Sachi and the rest you murdered in cold blood." Bringing his sword up high, PoH smirked as he used the opening. With all his strength, the leader of Laughing Coffin smiled with glee as he swung his cleaver. Dropping his left hand, Kirito swung the sword down in a devastating arc as he caught the cleaver with his hand, grunting as it dug into his flesh.

"All according to my plan," Kirito heard PoH say before his blade embedded itself into his skull. With on pull, the teen pulled the blade out before kicking PoH's body away, letting it fly across the opening before slamming into a trunk, a smile on the man's face taunting the boy as if saying 'This was fun'. Throwing away his sword, it dispersed before Kirito looked at the cleaver with disdain. Pulling it out, he let it fall from his fingers before gingerly poking his wound as shadows slowly crawled over it, healing it slowly as scarlet dripped to the forest floor.

"Finally," Kirito murmured softly as he looked up at the fading night sky, the sun beginning its daily rise.

"Just like he said," a raspy voice said coming from one of the four LC members. "Time to retreat!" Within an instant, the four figures leaped backwards before disappearing, retreating under the remaining shadows as the sun rose higher into the sky.

"Fucking finally." Collapsing to his knees, the teen held himself up with his hands as his eyes became teary. Choking back the tears that threatened to escape, he wiped them away with the hem of his sleeve before slowly standing up. Making his way towards PoH's lifeless body, he pointed his palm at him before shadows slowly leaked outwards. As three tentacles slowly came up, they curiously wandered towards the body before enveloping it, consuming the dead flesh of the undead.

"What are you doing with that?" Heathcliff asked as he made his way over.

"I'm destroying his body," the teen murmured as the shadows tensed then spasmed, the sounds of pulverizing bones filling the area before they dissipated. "I can't have him resurrecting or mutating into something more dangerous."

"Are you saying that this isn't the first time this is happened?" Klein asked as he watched from a respectable distance.

"It wasn't the first," Kirito replied. "But it's definitely the last time." Turning around, the teen's face was shadowed as he walked forwards. "We should head back and check on the women and children." Walking past Heathcliff and Klein, the boy didn't even spare a glance to the other fighters as they watched him walk away, eyes widened in fear as his use of magical power. Even for a normal person, the amount of pressure he outputted was... dangerous.

* * *

As all the fighters slowly made their way towards the camps they had set up, they murmured between each other as they mourned their losses, especially Yuuki as she tried fighitng back tears, only for them to come cascading down her face as Asuna hugged her, crying for her loss as well.

 **"GET BACK!"** Upon hearing Hiroto scream, Kirito dashed forwards as he brandished a sword he liberated from one of LC in his hands. As he hurtled past the campsite, he reached the lodge and snarled at the sight he saw. Corpses of women and children lay partially naked on the ground, their clothes ripped and lacerations decorating their skin. Their faces were twisted into masks of pain, their maidenhood purged and bloody.

 _"HELP!"_

Hearing the remaining children and women scream, Kirito darted forwards towards the remaining LC members that were slashing and stabbing away at Hiroto. As one embedded his curved scimitar into the undead's arm, his eyes flashed red as he screamed, pushing both away as Kirito darted in behind them. With one fluid motion, the blade pierced through the man's gut as he gasped in surprise, only to be kicked off and his friend follow suit. As they both bled to death on the ground, Heathcliff and others arrived on the scene before the commander instantly made his way to the survivors. As he asked them questions, the teen made his way towards Hiroto.

"Hey," Kirito said as he stopped in front of him. "You did good just then."

"I'm glad you showed up when you did," Hiroto muttered as he winced, pulling the scimitar out before his flesh closed over the wound, only a stain of scarlet remaining. "If you didn't, I could've lost control."

"You didn't, and that's good," the teen replied as he walked off. "I wouldn't want to have to kill someone who isn't a bad person."

* * *

The sun reached the pinnacle of the sky and the survivors wiped away tears before burning the bodies of the fallen, both friend and foe. Soon, travels bags were on back, bottles were filled with water and food was gathered until they could hold no more. With one more farewell to the once safe haven, the survivors began moving forwards through the forest, pausing for a couple of minutes as Yuuki crouched in front of the tree her boyfriend died at.

Soon, they were long gone from the forest and onto simple plains, flowers littered across the grass as a gentle breeze descended upon them. No living or unliving organism interfered with their trip, and as night fell, they set up camp before waking up the next morning and following the same routine of walking forwards.

The plains were massive, spanning well over 10 kilometers of length, making it harder for the survivors to travel. Children quickly grew tired and the adults grew weak from carrying all the gear. Finally, they made their way down to a small creek and set up camp early, the sun still descending as tents were set up and sticks gathered.

Sitting on a smooth stone beside the creek, Kirito pulled off his coat before storing it away, letting out a sigh of relief as he stretched his arms. A simple black tank top and matching cargo pants with boots, the teen enjoyed the warmth of the sun without the coat as he wiped away some beads of sweat forming on his head. Glancing behind him, he saw Heathcliff standing tall in the middle of the campsite, his armor gone and replaced with a simple white shirt and tan cargo pants, his tower shield and sword resting on a bag behind him.

Sighing, Kirito glanced at the sky before laying down on the large rock. It should be safe enough for a nap, right?

* * *

 **If I'm being honest, this chapter doesn't feel like it's up to my usual standard of writing quality. Maybe it's because I've been gaming more often lately? I'm not sure, but anyway, tell me more your opinions about it. Also, if I go back and fix this chapter up, I'll let you all know cause despite double-checking this, I feel like I rushed it somehow and some characters aren't reacting right, and the one thing I want to get right with this story is flow.**

 **(Just ignore this segment, just me rambling on about random stuff...**

 **I will never be afraid again**  
 **I will keep on fighting till the end**  
 **I can walk on water, I can fly**  
 **I will keep on fighting till I die**

 **Basshunter – I can walk on water, I can fl** **y**

 **Now, you may be wondering why I randomly posted song lyrics just above. Why? Nostalgia, that's why. I recently found this on youtube, and gods it has been years since I've even used Flipnote. Anyway, apart from that random piece there, hope you all enjoyed the chapter!)**

 **Now, I'm going to addressing chapter length. Yes, it's nice and all to have 7k+ words for chapters, but it makes it harder on me to keep pushing chapter lengths further when they really don't need to be. Especially if you look at the very first chapter for this story. In the first chapter, I could've broken it into multiple but didn't. So, from now on, I'll be writing until the chapter no longer requires more words. Yes, I'll make sure it has a decent length, and if it doesn't, I can even leave an omake at the bottom or tease the next chapter. Of course, that's your choice. Also, if a chapter is too long, it'll be split into two and uploaded.**

 **Also,**

 **Which description do you all prefer?**

 **A world destroyed by an experiment gone wrong, magic is now reality. The dead are brought back to life by souls from the Underworld that seek to destroy others. A lone teenager walks through a deserted town, nothing but a blunt weapon on his back. How will he survive in this world?**

 **The world was destroyed by an experiment, leading to souls rising from the Underworld to possess the corpses of the fallen. Magic was now reality, and many suddenly had powers they had no experience with. A lone teen travels a destroyed Japan, wandering endlessly as he thinks over the meaning of life. Will he live? Or find solace in the eternal resting place of his lost friends?**

 **The world was destroyed by an experiment, resulting in the creation of something every child wished was real, magic. However, because of this, souls from the Underworld rise and possess the fallen, leading to the destruction of the world. Possessing magic and skills in swordsmanship, a lone teenager wanders around in a ravaged Japan. How will he survive in this ruined world? - AU**

 **\- Stridderm8**

* * *

Julian POV

I charged in recklessly, and I paid for it with blood. As I lay here dying, I feel regret as I watch Yuuki cry, screaming at me to not go. I couldn't help it, but I brought my hand into her hair and ruffled it one more time before my whole world went black. Am I a monster for leaving her? I'm not sure, but I'm sorry for dying on you, Yuuki.

I promise, that if I am reborn into this world, I'll never leave your side. I'll stay with you until we die.

 **"Is that so?"**


	6. Dangers Of A New World

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **Went back and looked at the genres for this story. Adventure and Fantasy... Hmm, one might need to be changed in the future.**

 **Also...**

 **SHINO BEST GIRL!**

* * *

" _Are you sure this will work?"_

" _I'm positive. The test results from earlier are confirming this theory. If this experiment doesn't work now, then it won't ever work."_

 _Countless footsteps moved around as men and women in white lab coats hurried in the lab, fingers flying across keyboards as an elderly man gazed through the glass window separating himself from the subject._

 _This is the day that everything changed. The day an experiment went horribly wrong in every major country before spreading like wildfire._

 _Everything in life has consequences, and not many seemed to heed the warnings. An action results in either a reward, consequence or nothing, yet when the first signs of something malfunctioning appeared, they didn't stop._

 _Humanity doomed itself, and now the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse roam freely among the plains of the living, the spirits of the dead following in their wake._

* * *

Twirling his finger around in the air, a wisp of shadows trailed behind before vanishing. Looking up from the rock he lay on, the teen glanced at the resting survivors as they took a well-earned break, sitting down idly whilst the smell of canned food cooking wafted through the air. Sighing, Kirito slowly sat up, letting out a yawn as he did.

 **BOOM**

"What was that?" The teen heard a yelp before the ground underneath their feet began to rumble violently.

"Everybody grab onto something and stay rooted!" Heathcliff shouted out as everybody scrambled. Summoning his sword, Kirito stabbed it into the ground as hard as he could before make his grip as tight as possible. Watching the survivors grab onto whatever was available, the teen watched as Heathcliff copied him and stabbed his sword into the ground, his tower-shield resting on his back as a couple of women and children held onto his legs.

"SINON!" Hearing the panicked scream from Asuna, Kirito whipped around, only to feel his stomach drop. Watching the earth cave in on itself, it began descending with Sinon at the end which began to tilt upwards. Gritting his teeth, Kirito went to move, only for the ground underneath him to crack.

"EVERYBODY, MOVE!" Kirito roared as he darted forwards. Using his magic, the teen winced as pain flared in his ribs as he used tendrils of shadows to pick up survivors and moved them off the capsizing land. Reaching the ground which was nearly 90°, Kirito dispersed his magic and hoped the others made it to the safer ground. Leaping onto the earth, the teen instantly realized his mistakes.

A) No sword to use to keep him on the earth.

B) Why the hell would he go onto the rock with Sinon? He could've used his magic to get her out safely.

C) He could'v- OH SHIT! SINON'S ALREADY FALLEN!

"Shit" Pushing himself off the rock, Kirito tried to materialize his wings, only to fail. Growling, the teen created tendrils of shadows and stabbed them into rocks, using it to push himself closer to Sinon. Seeing her icy blue hair, Kirito pushed himself forwards as hard as he could before catching her in his arms.

"K-Kirito?"

"No time. Hold on tight!"

Letting out a shout, Kirito tried to summon his wings, only for them to shimmer then fade away. Growling, the teen felt Sinon's arms around his neck as he created countless tendrils of darkness. Piercing the earth, he pulled himself up hastily before repeating the process, piercing whatever solid earth presented itself as they quickly ascended towards the edge which felt like an eternity away.

"Watch out!" Hearing the urgent tone in Sinon's voice, Kirito noticed the large boulder heading his way. Quickly, he flung them to the side only to collide into a large rock. Rotating his body, the teen took majority of the impact, destroying the massive boulder before desperately stabbing through into the side of the earth, only to slide down tens of meters, losing their momentum.

"Keep moving! I want to try something!"

"H-Huh?"

As Sinon's arms left his neck, Kirito felt her legs wrap around his waist before practically squeezing him to death. As his tendrils continued to pull them up, ascending even faster than before, the teen felt his ribs flare in pain again as he glanced at Sinon. The girl's head was by his feet, the bow he gave her earlier in her hands. Distracted from what he was doing, a tendril missed its mark and the teen yelped as they began to descend again.

 _TWING_

 _Zip_

"Kirito!"

Confused, Kirito noticed the shadow arrow pinned to the top of the earth, close to the edge where the land began to collapse on itself. Gritting his teeth, the teen held out his hand as a line of darkness shot forwards from his palm before wrapping itself around the shaft. Feeling the line go taut, the two teenagers swung forwards before swinging back, gaining momentum to reach the top as they narrowly avoided the earth still crumbling.

"Now!" Kirito shouted as he let go of the magic rope. Reaching the pinnacle of their swing, the teen kicked forwards as Sinon let out a shout before wrapping her arms around his neck again. Using their momentum, Kirito landed on stable ground before immediately tumbling into a roll, his limbs becoming tangled with Sinon's. As dust clouds began to vanish and he could feel his body again, the boy groaned before slowly disentangling his body from the girl's.

"Sinon!" Hearing a feminine voice, Kirito sat up as Sinon groaned, barely moving as she rolled on the ground.

"Stay back for a sec," the teen muttered as he crawled over to the girl. Catching his breath, he sighed before kneeling over the archer. "Sinon, can you stop moving for a second? I need to make sure you didn't break anything."

"R-Right," Sinon murmured as she stopped moving. Carefully, Kirito poked the girl in the ribs, earning a snarl which quickly turned into a whimper of pain. Continuing his quick examination, the teen noticed her cheek was slightly bruised, and her right leg had a nasty cut which traversed up to her knee.

Reaching into his little pocket dimension, Kirito brought out alcohol, bandages and stitches. Immediately going to work, Liz, Asuna and Yuuki came to her side within an instant, holding her hands and reassuring her.

"Hey, you!" Glancing at Liz, Kirito returned his attention to Sinon's words as she whimpered as he disinfected the wound to the best of his abilities. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I doubt that there's a skilled medic left among us," the teen replied as he began to stitch the cut back together, earning curses from the girl as he tried to finish his job as quick as possible. "Besides, I'd rather treat this to the best of my ability while I can instead of leaving it."

"Hmm..."

"It's alright, Liz," Asuna said as she rubbed Sinon's back. "Kirito here saved me from when the fortress was raided."

"He's the one who saved you?" Liz said distastefully before Yuuki glared at her. "Sorry, sorry."

"Kirito, will Sinon be alright?" Seeing Yuuki's concerned eyes, Kirito gave her a small smile as he bandaged her leg, quickly clipping it before making sure it was secure.

"As long as we can find a doctor or someone more skilled then me, she'll heal faster. With my skills, it'll take a while, but she'll eventually get there," the teen said. "Anyone have ice or can create some?"

"I-I have some," Kirito heard a little boy say. Hearing the pit patter of tiny feet making its way to him, he turned around and gave the boy a small smile.

"Thank you," the raven-haired boy said as he ruffled the kid's hair before taking the ice pack. "You're a legend."

"I think you're the legend, mister!" The boy replied, beaming at the teen. "You saved Auntie Sinon!"

"Auntie?" Chuckling, Kirito gave him a genuine smile before refocusing on Sinon. Wrapping the ice-pack in cloth, he gently pressed it against her cheek, earning a whimper of pain before sighing.

"is that everything?" Asuna asked, leaning in close to Kirito's face.

"There's one more thing, but..." The teen sighed. "Can I leave to you to bandage Sinon's ribs? I don' think they're broken, but I'm pretty sure that they're fractured or something. Also, it'd be kinda awkward if... you know."

"Got it!" Leaving the girls to their own devices, Kirito stumbled towards Heathcliff, ignoring his own wounds as he gasped, his ribs flaring in intense pain before slowly fading, becoming a dull sensation in the back of his mind.

"Kirito, you need medical attention," the man said with a frown as he looked over the remaining survivors.

"I'm fine," the teen replied as he came to a stop, looking at the scarce number of survivors.

"Have you looked at yourself?"

Glancing at his body, Kirito frowned at the majority of his wounds. His cargo pants were ripped, countless scratches and cuts on his legs, and his tank top had a massive hole on his back, a bloody red gash fresh with dust. Gingerly touching his face, he winced as he felt his bruised cheekbone.

"Apart from all the obvious wounds," Kirito said, wincing in pain as his ribs became extremely stiff. "I think I may have bruised my ribs."

"I'll get someone to check over you soon. However..." As Heathcliff trailed off, Kirito realized he had turned around and did the same. Eyes widening, the teen's mouth dropped at the trail of destruction in front of him.

The ground was ripped apart, smashed together, then spat out. Earth was uprooted and elevated higher than other parts, and in other places completely missing, falling into the abyss the quake had created. The ground had multitudes of cracks and crevices, water from the creek falling into the massive, gaping hole that Kirito had rescued Sinon from.

"How did this happen to begin with," Kirito muttered, still unable to believe the disaster looking him in the eyes.

"I'd conclude that it was a side-effect from your dangerous outburst of magic earlier." Heathcliff glanced behind him as Kayaba walked forwards, his white lab-coat untouched by mother nature. "We still don't know much about this magical power which many seem capable of wielding, but it could have side-effects that we have no idea of." Sighing, the scientist gave him a small smile. "Of course, it's all just speculation at the moment, but it's the best guess I have at the moment."

"I'd have to disagree with you there," Heathcliff said as he turned around, his face an unmoving mask. "I believe that there's something bigger in play here. After all, I doubt shadows could create earthquakes by simply going out of control."

"Hmph, whatever you say." Turning around, Kayaba walked away as the girls walked over to their commander.

"Kirito," Asuna said as she leaned in. "Sinon wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Just go!"

Grumbling, the teen limped towards Sinon before sitting down in front of her. Adjusting how he sat, he winced as he gave her a small wave.

"Asuna said you wanted to talk to me. What is it?"

"I just wanted to thank you, for, you know…" Sinon trailed off, looking away, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Hmm? Oh, saving you, got it…" Sitting in silence, Kirito realized it wasn't an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. Giving the girl a small smile, he tried to stand up, only to let out a growl as he gritted his teeth, his body exploding in pain.

"Hey, let me see your wounds."

"I'm fine."

"I said let me see your wounds!" Sighing in defeat as Sinon slowly crawled over, she gasped as she noticed the severity of the injuries. "Kirito… How are you still moving around with this?"

"You mean the gash on my back?" As an unseen small smile appeared, the teen just tilted his head downwards, his face covered by shadows. "I have a high pain tolerance." It was a half-truth, but far from the horrifying past he had experienced.

"Hmm…" Feeling something warm hit his back, Kirito hissed as Sinon began disinfecting his gash. Soon, she ripped some of the cloth off her shirt before dabbing at the blood, cleaning it of the dirt.

"Top off, please," Sinon said as Kirito complied, grumbling as he slowly pulled off his tank-top. As his bare torso was exposed, Sinon noticed the large scar on his back. Without realizing, she began to trace the laceration down his back, Kirito shivering before tensing up.

"Sinon…"

"R-Right, sorry…" Grabbing the bandages left over from her treatment, she began to wrap it around his whole body, slowly covering the gash. As she made the second layer, she noticed that Kirito's ribs were raw red and swelling but continued going, finishing up her job as soon as possible.

"Kirito, Sinon." Glancing at Heathcliff, he gave the teen a nod before turning around and walking off.

"Come on," Kirito said as Sinon finished bandaging his wound. "We've gotta get moving." Slowly getting to his feet, he winced as he felt his cheekbone crack. Narrowing his eyes, a green glow emanated from the various cuts on his leg and the bruise on his face. As the glow vanished, so did his injuries with the exception of the gash. Letting out a sigh, he reached down to Sinon, his hand outstretched.

"Thanks." Helping the girl up, the teen caught her as she fell to the ground. "S-Sorry."

"You probably won't be able to walk for a while," Kirito said as he picked up his tank-top, tossing it into his pocket dimension alongside the remainder of the medical supplies. "I'll help you for a bit."

Placing her arm around his neck, Sinon blushed at the close contact as they slowly walked forwards.

"Hey," she murmured as they slowly made their way towards Heathcliff.

"What is it?"

"How come you didn't heal the gash on your back?"

"…"

"I-It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, I was just a bit curiou-!"

"I don't like using most of my powers." Taking a deep breath, Kirito let out a big sigh as he came to a stop. "It's a long story."

Resuming his walk, Sinon gazed curiously at the back of his head, his raven-black hair giving off a dull shine in the sunlight before clouds blocked the rays from heaven.

Shaking her head, the girl kept limping forwards, using Kirito as support.

* * *

Walking in silence, Kirito walked ahead of the group as they remained at least ten meters behind him. As most of the survivors were fighters, the weaker ones helped the remaining children and women walk, carrying them and their belongings. As they slowly left the plains, they passed by a few houses, windows boarded up and countless corpses laying outside. Making his way towards them, the teen crouched and picked up a stick before poking the corpse.

 _"Sssss..."_

Summoning his sword, Kirito stood up and poked the corpse as the others caught up, watching what he was doing. As he stabbed the head, he backed up as a howl temporarily incapacitated him, a grey haze rising from the body.

"Go back to the Underworld, spirit." Making a direct vertical slash, the air around Kirito exploded outwards as a rip in reality sucked the spirit in, its howls escalating into shrieks before disappearing with the void.

"Interesting creatures, aren't they?" Kayaba walked up before stopping beside the boy, his hands in his pockets. "You know, I was researching these _spirits_ before the fortress was destroyed. Did you know that they are what have the magical power that resides within our bodies?"

Kayaba was met with silence as Kirito turned around and investigated the other corpses, repeating the process if spirits were in their bodies.

"When the incident occurred, I'd say that it invoked all the magical power within humans. The so called undead that have risen have these spirits in them, but the magical power just allows them to move around. For the more intelligent undead, I'd say that they have a powerful spirit in them, possibly powerful historical figures?'"

"…"

Sighing, Kayaba gave Kirito a small smile before walking off.

"You might want to confide with someone, otherwise that burden on your soul will eventually rupture. Who knows, you might turn into one of those undead you despise."

Walking away, Kayaba rejoined Heathcliff as he glanced at Kirito, passing by him as they entered a more civilized area.

* * *

As they entered a new urban area, Kirito didn't even gape at the destruction that lay ahead. Skyscrapers had fallen from heaven, creating crisscrosses of rubble that buried themselves deep into smaller buildings, hovering above cracked and splintered roads filled with destroyed cars. Active power lines lay hidden in grooves of the broken cement, flickers of blue electricity alerting the teen to their location. The remnants of the city weren't a surprise; the boy had witnessed a city firsthand explode and succumb to panic.

"W-What the actual hell?" Kirito absentmindedly walked as Klein and the others slowly followed, weapons out and ready. Seeing a barricade, the teen sighed before looking around. Nature had slowly begun retaking what was rightfully hers, countless houses covered in moss and vines, glass shattered and doors off hinges. Of course, she didn't stop at just man-made buildings as Kirito stepped over a rotten corpse, countless fungi growing where the brain used to be. Glancing up at the sky, the amassed clouds were slowly growing darker.

"Everybody, follow me," Kirito said as he cautiously entered the decrepit house. "If I'm right, survivors should have established a ghetto by now. Also, keep your voices to whispers as well." Going dead silent, the survivors all nodded in agreement.

Creeping through the once beautiful home, the teen's boot crunched on glass shards as he instantly stopped, holding up his hand. As everyone froze, he listened intently, waiting for any sound to give away the sound of an undead. Minutes passed and some survivors grew impatient before a low growl was heard. Motioning for them to walk forwards, Heathcliff took the lead as he left through the back door, the others following as Kirito straightened up. Seeing everybody out of the house, the teen nodded before raising his foot and stomping it down onto the glass.

"GGrragggghh..."

Satisfied, Kirito glanced at the stairs before looking around. Bending over, he picked up a large shard of glass before hurling it at the wall. As it shattered, the sound echoing throughout the destroyed city, the teen opened up his pocket dimension before pulling out a hunk of meat, setting it down before backing up outside. Seeing the man struggling slightly, the teen helped Heathcliff drag a large trash bin into the way of the door. Panting slightly, they pushed it into place before sighing as the moans of the dead grew louder.

"I don't know where the hell you found that bin," the teen said as he walked off, the others slowly bringing themselves away from the groans. "But thanks."

"Just a distraction for the undead," the man replied. "Come on, lead the way."

"Right."

* * *

Hours had passed and as the dying sunlight barely penetrated the blanket of grey, the clouds slowly turning black, a light drizzle began to pour down as Kirito led the others into the heart of the city. Making countless detours, avoiding undead, walking around fallen, active powerlines which the teen assumed was from a generator by survivors, crawling through tight spaces and waddling through pools of water, the group of survivors let out a weary sigh as thunder boomed overhead. Ignoring the incoming hail of water droplets, Kirito squinted as he looked ahead. Seeing a faint light, he let out a small smile before he heard someone yelp behind him.

Instantly, Kirito reached for his waist to where he kept a knife, only to feel something cold, wet and definitely sharp press against his neck.

"Stay where you ar-!"

Without warning, Kirito elbowed the male in the gut before spinning around. Palming away the desperate swipe with the blade, he pulled on his arm, dragging the attacker in close before shoving his shoulder into the man's gut. As he gasped for breath, the teen brutally swung him over his shoulder, flipping the attacker onto the cold concrete as the rain intensified. Stomping on the back of his head, he pinned the man on the ground with his boot on his neck before grabbing his left arm. With a violent tug, the man screamed as a loud *pop* was heard before jerking his arm out of Kirito's grip. As he struggled to stand, his dislocated arm paralyzing the man as the pain exploded all at once, the teen glared at the rest of the strangers, his hair plastered to his face as his clothes quickly became soaked.

"Who are you." It wasn't a question, but it demanded an answer. Hearing something land behind him, Kirito instantly tumbled forwards, avoiding the receiving end of a baseball bat.

"Sheep like you should stay in place," a male voice said, his voice muted by the rain which grew louder by the second. As thunder boomed, lightning flashed, temporarily revealing the cloaked stranger's faces before everything became darker. "However, I can that you are no weakling."

"Now now," a mischievous voice called out, gender female. "Would it hurt 'cha to let them explain? I'd like ta know why there are strangers near the ghettos."

"Then maybe you shouldn't hold us at knifepoint next time," Kirito responded, not even bothered to move from his spot.

"Maybe." The teens eye's narrowed as he thought he detected some mirth in her voice before shaking his head.

"Mind if you led the way to the ghettos?" Kirito asked as he summoned his sword, the cloaked strangers' eyes widening slightly. "It seems that we have some unexpected company."

Hearing a grunt from behind, the teen let out a small, bloodthirsty smile.

"Go ahead," the man from before said to his female and no-longer-screaming male associate. "I'll stay behind and hold them off." Kirito felt the man's gaze on his back. "You as well, whelp. I don't need a hindrance staying behind."

"I could say the same." Without turning around, the teen felt the smirk from the man as he twirled his sword once, settling into one of his fighting stances as he caught a glimpse of blue eyes.

"Whatever you say."

Hearing shouts from behind, Kirito watched as his group left with the cloaked figures. Heathcliff merely nodded his way, Kayaba seemed excited, Klein was on guard and Yuuki was emotionless. Asuna seemed vigilant as she stayed close to Yuuki and Leafa refused to sheathe her blade, Silica clinging to her side. Agil brandished his massive battle-axe as Liz whined about the rain, Sinon's eyes asking a question as he nodded. Nodding in response, the teen left as the children and women stayed close, Hiroto remaining as rear-guard, his eyes changed to an ordinary hazel and hair black streaked with white.

As everybody made their way with the cloaked strangers, the man from before slowly walked forwards, coming to a stop beside the boy.

"Well, I may as well get your name while I'm here," the man said calmly as lightning flashed, revealing the horde of undead heading their way. Dull and blue eyes met their steely gaze as they moaned, slowly approaching the two fighters.

"Kirito. Yours?"

"Hmph, Ichiro Hidetaka."

Dropping the baseball bat, Kirito watched as the man reached behind his back, the cloak rustling before pulling out a Manriki-Kusari.

"The ten-thousand power chain, huh?" Kirito murmured as Ichiro twirled it expertly, bringing it a rest as the teen test-swung his sword.

"I hope you can keep up," Ichiro said, confidence flowing through his words.

"Yeah, sure." Grinning, the man let out a shout before he rushed forwards, his ninja-like weapon wrapping around his fist as the dead growled.

Letting his new combat partner begin the onslaught, Kirito slowly walked forwards, his eyes shadowed as his nightmarish blade shook with anticipation.

Today just wasn't his day

* * *

japan/ancient-japanese-weapons/

 **Link to those who are wondering what a Manriki-Kusari is. You'll find it in that link.**

…

 ***Ahem***

 **So, this chapter is now out, though I know I'll definitely be back to edit this cause I'm pretty sure that I screwed up somewhere. Now, concerning my other chapters with the use of 'these'… I'm currently in the process of editing the first chapter, though I won't actually update them until all chapters have "these" instead of 'these'. Also, there are some minor changes in them such as removing or editing/changing sentences and dialogue. Nothing too crazy, but you can go re-read them once I've updated.**

 **Now, I'm just uploading this chapter because A) School's a bitch B) I'm tired C) I have to study and raise all my grades to B's and above so I can start this program at school to start my path to getting a computer science degree and D) I'll most likely just be playing Fortnite with my friends on the weekend and trying out the test gamemode. Honestly, I love the game but some of the shit that happens just pisses me off so much. I mean... I love bloom and hitting for 7 damage close range with a green-pump.**

 ***sigh***

 **If you need me, just PM me and I'll eventually respond. Also, for those curious souls out there, I've made a community with stories that I consider of good quality or have a new/unique plot. Basically, go check out the community cause you might find some SAO fics that you haven't read. WORD OF WARNING! You might find some uncompleted fics, so don't be completely disappointed if you read one that suddenly has no ending. Also, it isn't just Sinoto in there either. I'll add anything with a good pairing that I've read, though I still need to get back to reading FailtasticBelt's series with I think the main guy being Garr? Someone correct me on that, though I know it's about PoH and an OCxLiz pairing.**

 **Anyhow, enjoy this somewhat enjoyable chapter.**

…

 **And DON'T come asking me stupid questions like how the fuck an earthquake which literally destroyed the earth happen. It's a part of the story, stuff will eventually be revealed. Not everything, but some. I like to leave some things to people's imaginations, so don't be afraid to leave a review or PM me about what you think is happening. Hell, you might even give me somethings to think about.**

 **Anyway, seeya scrubs.**

 **\- Striderm8**

 **PS: Don't take anything I say which seems snarky or sarcastic to heart, I'm probably just in a bad mood unless I say otherwise.**

 **PPS: Go check out the goddamn poll on my profile. There's only two choices left; Overlord or Oregairu. I'm happy to do either, though people didn't want Danganronpa so I erased the choice from the poll. Just another story to put in the** _ **maybe upload**_ **folder that I have. So many chapters for stories that have been scrapped...**

 ***sigh***

 **Also, I've already finished the first chapter for Overlord and Oregairu, so it's all up to what you want to see.**

 **Stay frosty... Well, that's what Noserfatu869 would say**


	7. A New Safe Haven?

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **When I first made this story, I never thought I'd become this invested in it. It's actually quite funny as well. At the start, I had a plan for where this was going as well. I still know how I want this to end, but right now? I'm winging it, and** _ **goddamn**_ **I need to stop doing this. Anyway, brief reminded on undead for those who have forgotten.**

 _ **'The undead were usually ranked from the color of their eyes. Dull eyes meant that they were at stage one, basic human strength and speed. Blue eyes meant that they were slightly more intelligent than their stage one partners and were at stage two. Stage three was when they had red eyes. Their speed and strength were incredible, and they were capable of understanding and talking like humans. Stage four undead had golden eyes and were one of the most dangerous of the undead. Their speed and strength were out of this world and their intelligence was unusually high. Only users capable of magic would stand a chance of surviving. Even so, it was unwise to attack these zombies with only one person. Stage five was the most dangerous undead of them all. While they had the speed and strength of a stage three undead, their intelligence level was beyond human logic. They could easily gather huge masses of zombies and even pass off as humans if they wanted to. They also had the power to regenerate, and if they wished to, could mutate into a stage six undead which resulted in an otherworldly sized undead. Whilst these zombies are the rarest of them all, they easily were nearly quarter the size of a skyscraper and had enough strength to destroy islands with a single blow. Their speed was reduced immensely alongside their intelligence, but they were a force to be reckoned with. However, they had a massive weakness. Nuclear Weapons.'**_

* * *

Heathcliff kept his sword at the ready as he followed the cloaked people, the survivors staying close as the rain poured down. His clothes drenched, the commander wiped away the droplets growing on his face before they were instantly replaced, his grip becoming harder to maintain. Keeping his pace, the cloaked figures dashed through alleys before jumping fences, the survivors not too far behind. The message they silently spoke was clear; you fall behind, you die.

Sliding through a hole in a wired fence, Heathcliff quickly got to his feet and helped the others slide or crawl through, the cloaked people waiting impatiently with a large dumpster. As Silica tripped and slid through on her stomach, Yuuki pulled her up with ease before moving back, the dumpster automatically blocking the hole as the younger girl groaned at the new rip in her shirt.

"Let's go," the female said as she strode forwards, her companions following as they walked through a doorway, disappearing into the darkness as they did.

Following silently, Heathcliff sheathed his sword as the others followed his actions, walking into the darkness, trusting the people ahead to lead them to safety.

* * *

"One, two, three and four," a man cackled as he watched his fellow undead die, their numbers whittled down at insane speeds by two fighters, only to be immediately replaced. "Oh, how I can't wait to fight you."

* * *

Swinging his arm, the sword was merely an extension as Kirito let a powerful diagonal slash slice his dead opponent in half. Dashing through the body before it began its descent, the teen activated one of his powers, obliterating the corpse as its guts exploded. As blood splattered across his body, Kirito pierced another undead, the tip pushing through the weak skin before flicking his wrist, decapitating the corpse as he spun and instantly met another. The midnight blade laughed as it sung its song of death, Kirito didn't. He let his augmented strength and speed do the talking.

* * *

With a shout, Ichiro's fist obliterated its target, leaving a fist-sized hole as its brains slowly oozed out, the corpse falling to the ground. As it landed silently, a snarl from behind made the man duck as the zombie swiped desperately at its food. With a shout, Ichiro hit the undead with an uppercut, sending the head flying as he smashed his foot into its ribs, sending the corpse flying into its brethren. Slightly hopping on his feet, the man enjoyed the moment of peace as the rain soaked his clothes. Just another day in the office.

* * *

Time passed and despite their vicious attacks against the never-ending undead, Kirito and Ichiro were slowly forced back, spinning in a circle as they danced in between limbs, lashing out whenever they were given the opportunity. Leaning backwards, Kirito narrowly avoided Ichiro's fist as it destroyed an undead before the teen forced himself straight again. Lunging forwards, his nightmarish blade glowed with satisfaction as the former man it aimed for gurgled to death. Spinning around, Ichiro let his Mankiri-Kusari do the talking as it smashed through a woman's head

"We're surrounded," Kirito said blankly as he eviscerated an undead, slashing through countless more before stepping back, avoiding a swipe as he kicked the zombie back.

"I can tell!" Ichiro grunted as he swung his weapon, only for it to be caught in an undeads hand. Without hesitation, the man smashed the corpse in the face, the brute force behind the punch flipping the undead as he backed up.

"Any idea on how to get out of this?" The teen asked as he threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding a thrust of a metal pipe, its edge serrated. Quickly regaining his footing, Kirito pivoted on the spot before quickly decapitating a zombie, only to step back as the baseball bat Ichiro dropped before swung past his face.

"I have a couple," Ichiro frowned as he lashed out randomly, only to move backwards, his back-touching Kiritos. "I didn't expect this many to come."

"I didn't expect them to learn this quickly," Kirito replied as his sword slashed through more bodies. Soon, no more words were spoken as the two humans danced through the nightmare. They lashed out when they could, ducking and dodging, narrowly avoiding grabs and swipes whilst pivoting on the spot to protect each-others backs.

 ** _'Use me.'_**

 _'No,'_ Kirito responded mentally as he viciously stabbed an undead in the chest, pinning it to the ground as he was tugged backwards violently. Shrugging out of his coat, the teen spun and smacked the zombie in the jaw with his palm, sending it flying backwards before reaching back for his sword. Gripping it tightly, Ichiro ducked as he heard a faint whistle, narrowly avoiding Kirito's blade as it was flung towards the enemy. Piercing countless undead, the weapon didn't stop until it was impaled against a concrete wall, leaving a temporary path in the mountain of corpses.

"Let's go!" Darting forwards, Ichiro barged through the few zombies which stumbled into the path, pulling himself free of his cloak as it got snagged on an undead. Following closely, Kirito's body was nearly touching the ground as he lowered himself as he ran, avoiding the hands of the undead whilst leaping over corpses. Making it through the horde, the teen followed the man into a decrepit building, ignoring the destroyed building as they ascended.

* * *

"Kirito," Sinon asked the cloaked figures as they reached a hole in a wall, a large rag covering the bricks missing. "Will he be alright with that man?"

"That man," the male from before spat, "is one of our best fighters, no doubt better then that boyfriend of yours!"

"B-B-Boyfriend?" Sinon exclaimed, her face practically lighting their surroundings in a rosy red glow.

"That's enough," the female ordered, making the man growl. "Come on, they'll be fine. You just gotta believe. Ichiro and emo will be fine."

"Emo?" Bursting out in laughter, everyone stared at Heathcliff as he quickly tried to cover up his amusement, only to fail. "Sorry everyone," he said. "It's just that I've never heard someone ever be so blunt with Kirito."

"Commander, are you alright?" Yuuki asked as she stepped forwards, her eyes mixed with concern.

"Yuuki," Heathcliff said as he placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair. He could still see the pain in her eyes. "Just because I act stoic, it doesn't mean I don't have emotions. Everyone deserves to be happy, regardless of what has happened to them. You are no exception." Glancing at the cloaked people, his smile disappeared, becoming serious once again. "I believe I've wasted enough time. Shall we go?"

* * *

"Jump here!" Ichiro shouted, leaping over a massive hole in the ground, landing with a roll before sprinting towards a window. With ease, Kirito cleared the gap as the man jumped out of the window, grabbing the bottom rungs of a ladder before pulling himself up. Hearing the moans getting louder, Kirito jumped out the window, grabbing onto the ladder as Ichiro hoisted it up. Reaching the roof of the building, the undead grew restless as they growled, scratching at the decrepit building which groaned, slightly swaying with the heavy gusts of wind, thunder and lightning ripping the sky apart as rain hammered the man-made earth.

"So, what's the plan?"

Ichiro gazed down at the city as lightning lit everything up. Majority of the buildings had already collapsed, fires had burned well over a quarter of nature, and water had claimed the roads. Holding onto a metal pole buried in the concrete, Kirito noticed a tear mixed in with Mother Nature's run-down Ichiro's face.

"I plan to blow this building up," Ichiro said, rooted to the edge of the roof. "We'll decimate a large number of the undead in the process whilst leading them away from our camp with the noise."

"Do you have an escape plan?"

"Do you see that?" Walking over, Kirito followed where Ichiro was pointing. Struggling to see in the pouring rain, his eyes widened as he saw what the 'Escape Plan' was.

"You're trusting a pool of murky water filled with unknown variables to save you?" Kirito asked in disbelief.

"I've checked it out," the man replied calmly. "All that's left is to blow the building."

"You're insane," Kirito muttered as he stepped forwards, stopping at the edge.

"Really?" Ichiro shook his head as the undead stumbled even closer to their location. "I thought _you_ were the insane one. Entering an undead infested city with a group of survivors... Why wouldn't you stay out?"

"Being out isn't that much better either," the teen said quietly, barely audible over the onslaught of rain. "I've been through so many destroyed cities and I've travelled countless kilometers. No matter where you go, they'll always be nearby."

"Heh, we may have more in common then I thought." Glancing behind him, Ichiro saw a flash of blue and sighed. "Ready to jump?"

"I have no choice."

"Not anymore you don't!" Whipping around, Ichiro's eyes widened as a man catapulted forwards, his hand closing around Kirito's throat. Tilting precariously on the edge, the man saw the teen's eyes filled with absolute determination.

 _"Do it."_

The teen tumbled over the edge of the building, disappearing instantly with his attacker.

"Time to end this show." Pulling out a detonator from within his pants pockets, he took a deep breath, exhaled, then smiled as the undead's groans grew even louder.

 **BOOM!**

* * *

"How's it feel, knowing that you're about to die?" The undead cackled as Kirito stared blankly at the red eyes, the pupils constantly moving independently.

"I don't care," the boy said nonchalantly, shocking the man.

"Really?" Tightening his grip, Kirito didn't make a sound as they continued falling, the ground ready to greet them within seconds. "Damn, and I thought you were interesting! Oh well, time to die now!"

Closing his eyes, Kirito finally felt at peace as he sensed the ground mere meters away.

 _'Finally,'_ the teen thought in his final moments. _'I'll pay for my sins...'_

 _ **'I refuse to let you die!'**_

Blue, blonde, red, brown, purple, pink, bald, grey...

Kirito gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging his palms.

 _'Kirito!'_ Sinon's voice echoed in his head.

 _'Kazuto, it's good to see you,'_ Heathcliff said from behind his desk.

Sachi's face swam into his head.

 _'It's not your fault.'_

…

 **It's not your fault**

…

 _ **It's not your fault**_

…

 _ **It's not your fault**_

…

 _ **I T'S NOT YOUR FAU**_ _ **-**_

"DAMNIT!"

 **BOOM!**

His voice ripped at his throat as magical energy exploded out of Kirito, dancing around his body, disintegrating the undead whilst digging into the ground. Losing control, countless tendrils of navy blue and black lashed out at everything as Kirito burrowed further into the ground, his magic forcing him to survive the fall as they stabbed deep into the earth. Slowly opening his eyes, the teen saw the building collapse as his body burned up, all his strength leaving him.

"Pro-tect, me," Kirito muttered as he slipped into a deep sleep. Responding to their master's wish, the tendrils coiled up above him before condensing into a thick layer around his body. With no resistance, the rubble crashed into the massive hole the teen made as dust exploded outwards, creating a screen where nothing could be seen. The wind howled and the rain poured as the building continued to crumble. Lighting flashed and thunder rumbled, the undead's population now reduced to less than four digits.

* * *

Popping up from the water, Ichiro gasped before he began swimming to land. Finally reaching land, the man gasped as rain continued to fall down, watching the burning building quickly being extinguished as it continued to collapse on itself.

"Serves them right," Ichiro said with a small smile before standing up. Jogging, he quickly began moving towards the hideout, keeping an eye out for any stray undead.

* * *

"Here we are," the woman said as she pushed aside a large scrap of metal. Walking through cautiously, Heathcliff merely smiled as he lowered his head slightly, the others gasping as they saw their 'hideout'. Despite the makeshift rag roof held up with ropes, countless little homes were made from scrap metal, wood; anything the survivors could get their hands on. Lamps hung from posts, basking the area in a warm glow as the smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the air, making some of the survivors' stomachs grumble.

"This is just the entrance," the woman said as she walked ahead, pushing the hood off her head. Short, auburn hair was released as she let out a sigh. Glancing behind her, the others saw that she was actually a teenager, and was quite the looker to. "Done looking?" Shaking her head, a small grin on her face, she continued walking ahead.

"You're free to do as you like," the man with the dislocated arm spat. "Just don't cause any trouble." Walking away, Sinon glared at his back, making him freeze for a second before he stomped off.

"Well then," Heathcliff said, turning around. "Your free to do as you please. If anything happens, we all meet up here." Turning around again, the man walked forwards, people looking at the stoic man silently in awe as he waved, a small smile on his face.

"Come on, Yuuki," Asuna said as she took her friend's arm and dragged her off. "Let's go look around."

"Y-Yeah," the girl managed to say before being dragged off.

"Excuse me," Lisbeth said as she bounded towards a teenage boy holding a hunk of metal in his arms. "Is there a forge around here?"

"Oh?" He said, slightly surprised. "Are you a blacksmith as well?"

The girl chuckled. "I bet I can make a better weapon then you."

The two walked off, energy sparking from the intensity of their conversation as they got further away, disappearing behind a makeshift wall.

"LADIES! HERE I COME!" Klein rushed off, Agil letting out a sigh before following his friend's trail calmly.

"Let's go look around," Leafa said, walking off with Silica following behind her.

Without saying a word, Sinon left the remaining survivors, her thoughts on one person.

 _'Stay safe you idiot.'_

* * *

 **Yeah, short chapter and feels like it's very lacking. Anyway, I felt bad for the lack of updates so I decided to** _ **force myself**_ **(I use that very lightly) to write this. Also, suck it, not apologizing of the short chapter. If anything seems extremely off or I screwed up somewhere, let me know. If not, I'm going to go play Bloodborne again and try get my blood echoes all back.**

 **\- Striderm8**


	8. Soul

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **(This stuff was written days ago)**

 **Started working on A Different World. New chapter for that will eventually be up. Also, holy fuck has Dragon Ball Super gone off. Of course, there was some poor writing, but HOLY FUCK ULTRA INSTINCT IS INSANE! DBS Ep 130** _ **and**_ **131... bruh. Anyway, here's your chapter.**

 **Also, just as a side note, the main character for the story** _ **is**_ **Kirito at the moment. So, most of the stories perspective will be in his own way, albeit, third person, though I don't think the quality would be any different in a first person POV, which I would enjoy writing as well.**

 **Alllsssoooooo, I'm currently hooked/(addicted) to playing Bloodborne at the moment, and I might be introducing elements from the game into this story. The shit in the game; hell, the souls series in general has some good shit to write with.**

* * *

 _Pain_

That's all Kirito felt as he was forced awake. Screaming, the debris consisting of wood, brick and metal began to force its way through his layer of energy. Struggling to move, the energy condensed began to flicker and lash out, sapphire blue energy turning into tendrils as it attacked without regard. As the debris began to crush Kirito, his screams of pain turned into anger as his energy pulsed, flickering from dangerous black and purple to blue. Wood was disintegrated, brick destroyed and metal crushed as the debris began to disappear, floating into the sky as purple and blue particles before dissipating. Slowly standing up, all of the debris vanished as the teen panted violently, his chest heaving as his heart screamed, pounding at his chest, trying to escape the painful body of flesh and blood.

"Fuck... that," Kirito managed to say as he fell forwards, landing face first in the dirt as the rain began to slam down into his body, each droplet feeling like a hot knife being driven into his body. Gritting his teeth, the pain subsided as he activated his powers. Feeling powerless, strength suddenly surged into his body before quickly being halved.

 _ **'Some thanks would be nice.'**_

'You forced me to use Overdrive, why would I thank you?'

Laying in the dirt for a few minutes, Kirito tried to get up, only to fall backwards in the mud. Sighing, he didn't move for what seemed like hours, the lightning and rain never-ending.

 _ **'…'**_

"Fine," Kirito snapped. "Thank you."

 _ **'Finally,'**_ the voice replied, sounding happy. _**'Now, show some respect and sacrifice food to me.'**_

Ignoring the spirit residing within him, the teen sighed before slowly standing up. Moving slowly to get used to his new strength, Kirito frowned.

"You used _Improve_ as well?" Sighing again, the boy shook his head, droplets of water sent everywhere before he looked up, thinking of a way to get out of his current situation without using magic. Moving back slowly, Kirito did calculations in his head before letting out a sigh. "Alright, time to bullshit my way out of this." Settling into a stance, the teen's eyes widened as he suddenly pushed forwards, using all the strength in his body as he leaped up. Still moving, Kirito sprinted straight up the wall, his boots leaving barely any impression on the wet mud, only for one to slip.

Growling, Kirito reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out a hunk of metal from the destroyed fortress, stabbing it violently into the ground as he quickly slid back down, slowly coming to a stop as mud, rain and sweat coated his face.

'Great. Fucking fantastic...'

Exhausted, Kirito collapsed onto the cracked concrete as he dropped the metal bar, the rain drowning out any noise as lightning continued to attack the ground without no sign of stopping soon. Panting violently, the teen ignored his screaming muscles as he slowly staggered to his feet, walking forwards as pain erupted from all over his body. Stumbling forwards, the teen sneezed and moaned as he forced himself past ruined convenience stores, his whole body reacting violently to the harsh weather as he slowly trudged on.

"...one...two..." Kirito mouthed silently as his body began to grow heavier and heavier. Forcing his head up, his vision blurred from grey concrete to a flicker of light before darkness took over his body.

 _Thud_

…

 _"Where am I?" Kirito wondered aloud, rooted to his pedestal surrounded in darkness._

 _ **"You're in my little home," a voice said, echoing in the void area.**_

 _Instantly, Kirito glared at the darkness and summoned his sword. With a powerful horizontal strike, the tip of the blade created a rip in the darkness, casting the void wallpaper into nothingness as it was replaced by an empty white space. Confused, the teen spun around, only to find a single wooden chair sitting there._

 _"This isn't funny," Kirito growled as he smashed the chair in half with ease, sending splinters flying as his blade carved its way through the air, only to leave behind a rip in the space._

 _ **"Now look at what you've done."**_

 _Instantly, the rip froze before playing in reverse, disappearing as if nothing had happened._

 _"What do you want?" The teen said again, clearly angry at the voice._

 _ **"...maybe I should clear up some misunderstandings."**_

 ***POOF***

"There,' the voice said, relieved. "Now I can actually breath." Shaking his head, Kirito was temporarily disorientated at his new surroundings. A fresh spring breeze caressed his face as he looked around, bewildered at his new location. A cottage covered in some plants stood proud and silent, a small stream of smoke cheerfully rising into the sky as a rocking chair sat peacefully, a ball of yarn laying on the seat. Just from where he stood, he could feel the warm humming of pure magical energy emanating from the cottage as he turned around, only for his jaw to drop at the sight of a luscious green forest.

"What the hell?"

"Over here, cutie! ~" Turning around, Kirito deadpanned at the sight of a teenage girl draped across a rocking chair, her tongue poked out in teasing manner as she winked, hand up in a cute pose. Slowly walking over, he took note of her clothes; short shorts and a tank top, before balling his hand into a fist.

"So," Kirito said cautiously as he stopped, carefully watching the girl. "I'm assuming that you're the spirit inside of me?"

"Spot on! ~" She chirped. Quickly leaping out of the chair with ease, she jumped forwards, wrapping her limbs around the teen's body. Squirming, Kirito tried to escape her grip but failed as the girl smiled, forcing the boy to support her body.

"So, what do you want, _spirit_?" Kirito grumbled, hissing out the last word as the girl frowned.

"Na, ah, ah!" She tutted. "While I may be a spirit, I'm _your_ spirit. Tee-hee! ~" The spirit giggled.

Kirito sighed. "Really, what do you want?"

"Hmph!" Poking the teen in the cheek, the spirit pouted as she jumped off, fuming as she stormed off into the cottage. Not sure what to do, the boy wandered inside, body tense and on alert but calm and relaxed on the outside. Looking around, he admired the cottage before his focus was instantly pinpointed onto the spirit, sitting calmly in a chair as she sipped from a cup, its contents steaming hot as she blew it on with no effect. Shrugging, the girl took a sip and sighed as she put the cup down. "Ahh, that hits the spot!"

Sitting down, Kirito watched carefully as the girl across him acted carefree.

"…"

"So, I- "

"Hi, my names Sara-!"

"Stop mucking around," Kirito growled. "I can feel your power and I know that you aren't capable of having that much." Staring at the boy dumb shocked, the girl suddenly cracked a smile, chuckling.

"Ahh, of course this wouldn't have worked," she said, oddly happy, only for a sudden flash of darkness blinded Kirito. Instantly, the teen leaped to his feet and swung with his fist, hoping the catch the spirit off guard. Still blinded, light slowly began to fill the area and Kirito regained his vision, only to glare at the deathly fumes that emanated from the man standing in front of him.

"I'll properly introduce myself." Raising himself to his full height of over 7ft, the man with deathly pale skin a chiseled body looked down at Kirito, his eyes gleaming with interest. "I am a Greek God, the personification of Death."

"Greek?"

Smirking, the man bowed slightly, his head tilted at a precarious angle. "I doubt you've heard of me, but yes, Greek. My name is Thanatos. Pleasure to make your acquaintance-"

"I don't care what your name is," Kirito snapped as he glared at Thanatos. "What's this about being a Greek God?"

"Straight to the point?" With a small smile plastered to his face, the God gestured for the boy to sit down, forcing him into a seat with magic. "Well, first things first. Gods exist."

"Prove it."

Shrugging, Thanatos pointed at Kirito, directly at his chest. A small beam of light flashed before instantly disappearing. Unsure of what happened, the teen went to say something, only to instantly stiffen as his skin turned pale, whatever fragments of life remaining disappearing like dust in the wind. Kirito went to move, only to realize his body was frozen stiff before his hands began crumbling like stone.

"Apart from that, I'll tell you what I know about your world." Waving his hand dismissively, Kirito disappeared in a flash of light before reappearing, unharmed and looking queasy. "Currently, 'your' world is, as of now, a dystopia. For the Norse mythology, this would be considered 'Ragnarok,' but the Norse Gods died out a long time ago. The other Gods such as Aztec, Egyptian, etc... Well, when the 'plague' began; what you call the undead- they began blaming each other and lashed out. Currently, only snippets of the Greek Gods remain, and majority of the supernatural world is in shambles. Anyway, your world is destined to burn, be razed, destroyed; you get the idea. However, after the worst has come, it'll be reborn new and combine with the worlds of the deities. Basically, keep doing what you've been doing. Survive."

"…" Slowly, Kirito's finger rubbed against his chin as he lost himself in his thoughts. Thanatos watched amused as the boy slowly lifted his head, his eyes burning with determination.

"Done yet?"

"I won't die," Kirito stated as he stood up, eyes hard. "I don't believe you for a second that Gods exist. For all I know, you're a puffed-up spirit trying to convince me otherwise. Besides," the teen summoned his sword, and with ease, drove it through Thanatos's chest, leaving behind a gaping hole as he jerked it out. "I didn't trust you back then, and I don't trust you right now."

"As expected," Thanatos said without blinking an eye, the wound in his chest quickly mending itself. "The soul I've been connected with is tough, even after nearly dying to a despicable undead twice." Rolling his shoulders, a loud crack rang out as he sighed. "I'll send you back to your world now. Don't die."

"Ironic, coming from a so –called 'Death God'."

Thanatos smiled. "Go, there are people waiting for you."

Waving his hand, Kirito disappeared as the man sighed.

"Well, I didn't expect him to believe me at first..."

* * *

Groaning internally, the teen felt himself in his real body as he slowly regained consciousness. His head hurt badly, and his whole body felt weak.

'Everything you've said so far has to be lies,' Kirito thought to himself, still thinking about his conversation with the spirit inside of him before he suddenly remembered what happened before. Shooting straight up, countless people gasped in shock as the teen snarled, grabbing the closest object before rushing the closest person.

"Kirito!"

Freezing mid-dash, the teen glanced in the direction of the voice. Asuna stood not too far away, her face betraying her emotions as she watched on, concerned. Looking around, he was met with faces of fear as young and elderly people watched him closely.

"…"

"Sorry," Kirito said calmly. "The last thing I remembered was passing out somewhere, so I thought I had been kidnapped by undead or bandits."

"That's alright," an elderly man spoke up as he approached the teen, a smile on his face as he used his cane to support his frail body. "I'm sure if anybody else was in your situation, they'd panic as well."

Kirito didn't sigh, but his eyes flashed dangerously before he let out a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head as he let out a light chuckle.

'Thanatos... I'll have to see if I can dig up anything on him..."

* * *

 **I can and won't give two jack shits if this quality is terrible at the moment. I'm actually pissed off at myself, the game I** _ **was**_ **playing (fuck you overpowered bullshit of a npc Bloodborne) and at the shenanigans happening at my house. I need to fucking soundproof the place next time before someboyd comes over. Annndddd, most of all, I feel like shit, so take this chapter and fuck off.**

 _ **PS: I don't actually mean that, but I need to vent at something otherwise I'll just bottle it up and do something incredibly stupid.**_

 **Undertale – Megalovania / This song is so fucking good. I actually hyped myself up with this song to write some bloodthirsty battle scenes before.**

 **Anyway, read, go crazy, eat chocolate- I don't care. Enjoy your day.**


	9. The Ghetto

**A Game of Life and Death**

 **Sorry about the wait.**

 **Read the notes at the bottom**

* * *

Wandering about the ghettos, Kirito waved, smiled and talked to the large stream of survivors who bombarded him with never-ending questions. Passing by food stalls, small homes and various activities, the teen did his best to wave them off politely but found himself growing more irritated as time went by. Eventually, he managed to break off from the pack and found himself in the archway of a door, the inside dimly lit by lanterns hanging on the walls.

 _Thud_

Looking down, Kirito's eyes locked with Yuuki's; blank with no emotion as he reached out to her. Taking his hand, Yuuki flashed him a small smile as he helped her up from the floor he had accidentally knocked her onto.

"Thanks, Kirito," the girl said before she stepped to the side. As she walked past, Kirito watched the way she held herself as she walked. Within an instant, the teen's eyes clouded over as countless emotions fought before settling into a grim determination.

"Yuuki."

Reaching out, Kirito caught Yuuki's wrist before she left the room. As they stood there, the boy watched as the girl slowly removed his grip before turning around.

"What do you want." It wasn't even a question that left Yuuki's mouth. Kirito frowned.

"I just wanna talk for a bit."

"Ahem." Glancing towards the source of the noise, Kirito flushed and moved out of the way as the old man walked out, chuckling before Yuuki walked in. Shaking his head, he followed her in, heading deeper into the room so they could speak in private. Walking in silence, Kirito followed Yuuki as she walked through a doorway before shutting the door behind them as the girl lit up some of the lamps in the room.

"So," she said flatly as she plopped onto the edge of a bed. "What did ya want to talk about?" Noting her non-existing cheerfulness, Kirito leaned against the wall, folding his arms as he looked at the girl.

"What's wrong?"

"…"

"Don't try and hide it. The way you walk, talk and act around others. Even if you managed to hide all of that, your eyes give it away." Seeing her sit there in silence, Kirito pushed on. "I know it's not easy to move on, but the way you're moving? You'll be a hindrance in the future. Do you want that? Do you really want to let down those close to you?"

"…"

Sighing, Kirito looked up at the ceiling, noting its tan color and how barely any of it was rotten. Taking in the details of the room, he spoke. "I bet you haven't experienced true hell yet. That you've lived a sheltered life before all," the teen waved around him, "this happened."

"...what do you know?" Slowly, Kirito looked back down at Yuuki, noticing her shaking frame. "Before this whole _Incident_ happened, you know what was happening to me?" Raising her head, she looked Kirito right in the eyes; ruby red meeting stoic onyx. "I was suffering from AIDS. Doctors came to me and offered countless types of medication and methods to heal, and I accepted all of them." Lowering her head, the girl fiddled with her fingers as she looked at her hands. "Eventually, I was drugged and knocked out before waking up in a new area. And you know what they did?" Pushing himself off the wall, Kirito slowly walked towards Yuuki as she began to shake, tears welling up in her eyes. "They practically tortured me. They experimented on my body everyday trying to discover something _new_ within the human body." As her tears fell, Kirito sat down beside her before gently rubbing her back, encouraging the girl to let loose.

"What happened then?" He asked softly.

"I-I wasn't there for long," Yuuki said as she wiped away her tears, sniffling as she did. "Soon after, an explosion happened and the undead began to appear in the lab. I was stuck there for a while, then as soon as everything calmed down, I... I..."

"Then what?"

Taking a deep breath, Yuuki managed to calm down, her shaking no longer present. "I was nearly raped by a scientist." Sitting there in silence, Kirito paused before he continued rubbing Yuuki's back as she let out a sigh. "He was insane; probably because of the incident. He nearly got me, too, but... but then... " Yuuki leaned against Kirito, enjoying his warmth as he moved his arm to hold her close. "The commander showed up with his brother. Just before he... did it. After that, I remember being in pain and I blacked out. Then, I stuck with the commander since then."

"I see." Sitting in silence, minutes passed before Kirito let out a deep sigh. "I should apologize," he said. "I didn't mean what I said earlier about living a sheltered life. I was trying to-"

"Force me to talk so I wouldn't feel as bad?" Yuuki interrupted. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Yeah, sorry." Extracting herself from Kirito's arm, the girl fell backwards and sighed.

"I didn't realize how much I was being weighed down," Yuuki said softly. "Asuna, Shino, Rika... Gods, I must've made you all feel terrible."

"So, do you want to talk about what's really weighing you down?" Kirito asked as the teen frowned. "About... Julian and the others?"

"Julian..." Hearing her sniffle, Kirito didn't turn around as the girl began to break down in tears again. "I-I miss him... so much," Yuuki stuttered out. Feeling something warm press against his back, Kirito remained silent as Yuuki cried, her tears wetting his shirt as she hugged his back.

"Julian..." Kirito said, his voice a bare whisper. "What was he like?"

Hearing the rustle of fabric, the boy waited patiently as Yuuki wiped away her tears. "H-He was the best boyfriend I could've had." Hearing Yuuki take a deep breath, Kirito looked down at his hands as she continued. "Sure, he was timid and scared of fighting, and that he couldn't bring himself to harm people ever again. Yeah, he spent barely anytime with me and was always busy trying to help others, but... despite that, I still love him. Julian would always dote on me when we were along and could always cheer me up with those cheesy jokes of his a-and he was just..."

"All in all," Kirito said with a small smile, his face shadowed by his hair. "He was perfect for you, wasn't he?"

"Y-Yeah, he was." Getting off of Kirito's back, Yuuki shuffled over and sat beside Kirito, leaning against him again. The two sat there for what felt like hours before Yuuki let out a sigh. "Thanks, Kirito."

"For what?" Kirito asked as he raised an eyebrow. "I was just doing what a good big brother should do."

"Well then," Yuuki giggled, her voice filled with a bit of her old cheer. "I'll expect you to take good care of me, Big Bro!~" Smiling, Kirito ruffled her hair, earning a pout in response. Laughing, Kirito slowly stood up as Yuuki fixed her hair.

"Glad to have you back, Yuuki," Kirito said, a genuine smile on his face. "Come on, we should go see Asuna and the others."

"If you say so!~" Yuuki chirped.

* * *

Waving goodbye to Kirito, Yuuki walked off, feeling as if the world had been lifted off her shoulders. As she walked, she smiled as she remembered their encounter with Asuna and the others.

 _2 hours ago_

Walking beside Kirito, Yuuki talked to Kirito, the two both laughing, faking hurt expressions and having a good time. Despite bringing attention to themselves, Yuuki felt better as she watched Kirito's eyes light up like a childs at the sight of food, no longer dead and unmoving. Laughing to herself as Kirito begged for food from a stall, the owner just chuckled before the two left. Of course, Yuuki stole some of his kebabs much to his dismay leading to some friendly banter, but they quickly stopped in favor of enjoying the food.

"Ya know," Yuuki muttered under her breath. "You aren't that bad, Kirito."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"Nothing!~"

Kirito frowned. "Well, if you say so-"

 _"Yuuki!"_

Stopping in his tracks, the teen flinched as Asuna charged forwards. With a dust trail following her movements, the chestnut-haired teen instantly began inspecting Yuuki; poking her cheeks, tapping her shoulders, stretching her face out- before finally sighing with relief as the victim whined.

"You didn't do anything, did you?" Asuna asked politely despite glaring at Kirito.

"I did nothing," Kirito said calmly, hand in his pocket as he finished off his kebab.

" _Stare..."_ Not reacting in the slightest, Asuna sighed before smiling as she wrapped Yuuki in a hug. Ignoring her complaints, Yuuki smiled as she returned the hug as Sinon walked up.

"Sorry about Asuna," Sinon sighed as she faced Kirito. "Yuuki had ran off earlier and Asuna got really worried."

"Y-Yeah," Kirito muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "So, did everyone get here safely?"

"Mmm." Standing together in silence, Kirito let out a small smile as Yuuki turned the tables on Asuna and began tickling her mercilessly.

"You seem... different," Sinon said softly, just loud enough for the boy to hear. "Are you alright?"

"…"

Noticing his quick breaths, the girl frowned and moved to check Kirito's temperature, only for the teen to sway away.

"I'm fine," he said hurriedly. "I'm just a bit tired."

"Bullshit," Sinon growled as she grabbed his arm. Bringing her hand up to rest on his forehead, she leaned forwards as she sighed in annoyance. "You're burning up. I'm surprised you have't fallen over yet."

"U-Uh, Sinon?"

"Don't uh me!" The girl snapped. "I'm taking you somewhere to go lay down!"

"Uhh..."

Turning around, she glared at Asuna and Yuuki as Kirito backed away slowly, only for Sinon to drag him back.

"You two are a bit close," Asuna said as she leaned in. "Did you two get in a relationship or something?"

"Yeah, come on Big Bro! You can tell me everything!" Yuuki chirped.

"W-What?" Sinon spluttered out as she let go of Kirito, the teen sighing in relief. "N-No! It's nothing of the sort! I'm just concerned for his health because he was out in the rain fighting all those undead then he went missing and!-"

"It's alright, Sinonon," Asuna cut in. "We were all worried, weren't we?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that," Kirito said sheepishly. "I was helping that other guy; Ichiro- with his plan. I got caught in some trouble afterwards, but I managed to get out."

"Trouble, he says," a male said from behind. Turning to meet the newcomer, Kirito scratched the back of his head sheepishly as Ichiro looked at him before waving at the others. "He only followed me up into a tall building, got tackled off the edge by an undead and somehow survived the fall before managing to find his way to one of the entrances to ghettos half-conscious without any prior knowledge."

"Says you!" Kirito fired back as the girls watched the two argue. "You lead me to the top of a building before telling you were going to blow it up!"

"I had an escape plan, didn't I?" Ichiro replied, raising an eyebrow.

Kirito scoffed. "Your escape plan consisted on jumping into a very large puddle."

"And it worked, didn't it?"

"For you it did!"

As the two locked eyes, fire began to emanate from their auras before a hooded figure leaped onto Ichiro's back, startling the man. Instantly, his arms shot out to support the newcomers weight as Kirito sighed.

"Who's that on your back and how old is she?" Kirito deadpanned.

"How did you know they were a girl?" Ichiro asked as the hooded figure reached down and grabbed his cheeks, stretching them out, irritated at the man's attitude.

"Nobody is foolish enough to jump on your back," Kirito said. "I've seen what you can do, so that means everybody else here would have at least a general idea on what you can do. Also, I just assumed."

"Well, he gotcha there, didn't he?" The hooded figure said. Waving at Kirito, the girls groaned as Argo snickered. "Hey there Mr Edgy, my name's Argo. It's nice to meet ya!"

"Likewise, but my name is Kirito," the teen replied as he rubbed his temples. "Not Mr Edgelord or whatever you said." Waving absentmindedly, Kirito turned around and walked away. "I'll catch up with all of you later. Seeya."

"Bye Big Bro!"

"Big Bro?" Ichiro frowned as he watched the teen walk away. "Are you two biologically related?"

"Nope!~" Yuuki said cheerfully before her face slowly fell. "The truth is… he helped me out when I really needed it. For that, I'll look up to him as my big brother from now on! Besides…" She trailed off. "All of you have seen it, haven't you?" All the girls nodded simultaneously as Ichiro scratched his chin, forgetting about the girl on his back who slid off, landing on the ground as she cursed like a sailor.

"His eyes," the man stated simply. "I haven't seen that look in years. He's determined to fulfil his goal, whatever it may be, but…"

"They're blank... no emotion in them," Argo said as she stood up, brushing off her clothes as everyone turned to look at her. "What? I noticed it the moment I set my eyes on him."

"More importantly, have you seen his combat style?"

"What do you mean, exactly?" Yuuki asked as Ichiro looked her way.

"I'll tell you my honest opinion," the man said as he motioned for the girls to get closer. Taking a breath, he let out a sigh. "Honestly, I'm worried for the kid. His fighting style is perfect; vicious, merciless and precise- something that comes from years of experience. He may seem stoic and strong to outsiders, but he reeks of despair. Something happened to him, and if he doesn't break out of that shell he's in, then he'll most likely die soon." Noticing some of the looks of shock on the girl's, he grimaced. "It's the truth. It's like he's fighting to do something. I doubt he'd open up to me, but maybe on you could..."

"I'll go check on Kirito," Sinon said before she walked away from the group. Following the route the boy walked, Asuna sighed as the ice-haired girl disappeared from sight.

"Honestly, are those two in a relationship?" Asuna exclaimed.

"Oho? Are you jealous, Asuna?"

"Y-Yuuki! No!"

Smiling at the memory, Yuuki bumped into something solid and blinked twice as she looked up. Seeing a wall in front of her, she sighed as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Heh, I should focus on where I'm walking."

* * *

Sighing, Asuna held the towel tight to her body as she slid open the bamboo door, untouched from the apocalypse. Walking forwards, Yuuki followed after as the chestnut-haired girl slowly made her way towards the man-made hot spring, the two girls admiring the tiles that adorned the floor and the stone decorations that surrounded the water. Steam slowly uncurled as it rose higher into the sky, Asuna and Yuuki let out a simultaneous sigh as they sat down, the water just above their shoulders as the exhaustion in their limbs disappeared instantly. Looking up at the sky, stars twinkled, unaffected by pollution as the clouds floated away, their anger gone and their skin puffy white.

"Hmm?"

 _Swish_

 _Swash_

 _Swish_

 _Swash_

"So, ladies, whatcha' thinkin of?"

Blanching, Asuna jumped as Yuuki grinned.

"Hey, I remember you!" She said. "You're that girl that the guy dropped!"

"Not my finest moment," Argo said smoothly. "But I nagged him afterwards for food. Nothing pays better for info then food!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Enough about me, how about..." Argo drifted through the water until she was beside Asuna. "You?"

"M-Me?" Asuna stuttered.

"Yeah you!" Giggling, the girl twirled a lock of dirty blond hair as she relaxed. "Tell me, do you like Mr Edgy?"

"Kirito?"

"Bleh, same thing," Argo said as she rolled her eyes, earning giggles from the two girls. "Come on, tell me! We're all girls here, unless..." Leaning forwards, Asuna stiffened as the girl whispered something in her ear before backing up, laughing as the older girl's face was redder then a tomato.

"Neh, Asuna? What'd Argo say?" Yuuki asked as she nudged her friend's side, only to earn a groan of embarrassment.

"Was I really that obvious?" She muttered, horrified as she looked at the water through her hands.

"I promise I won't say anything without your permission!" The blonde girl said as she stood up, water dripping from the towel draped around her body. "I promise on my pride as an info broker!"

"Info broker?" Yuuki and Asuna chimed in at the same time, both as confused as each other.

"Uh huh! Info broker!" Sitting back down, Argo adjusted her towel around her chest before she sunk into the water, only stopping until her eyes were just above the water as she floated around, gurgling as bubbles slowly floated into the top. As Yuuki laughed at the girl's antics, Asuna glanced at the door way as Sinon entered, her face betraying her emotions. As she sat down in the bath, she let out a sigh of relief as two screams emanated from outside before quickly being silenced.

"What's wrong, Sinonon?" Asuna asked as the girl glanced curiously at Argo and Yuuki playing around before sighing again.

"There were two idiots outside trying to get a look," she said, fidgeting with the towel around her waist. "I caught them and was about to kick their asses before Agil walked by." Grinning, Sinon looked back at the door before looking around the room. "He took care of them before I changed. Those screams you heard? He went outside and had a polite talk with them."

'Well, considering how caring Agil is, it's no surprise," Yuuki chimed in as she floated on her back, Argo snickering as she leaped at the defenseless girl, startling her before she fought back.

"True," Asuna murmured, her delicate finger barely touching her lower lip. "He's always looked out for us girls after what happened on the Fortress."

"Please," Sinon shuddered. "I don't want to remember what happened."

"Sorry," Asuna said as she looked at Sinon. "I didn't want to bring up any unpleasant memories."

"It's… fine," Sinon murmured as she fiddled with her hands. "Just, don't mention it again." Asuna nodded before she looked for Yuuki, only to find a white towel floating on the surface of the water.

"E-Eh?"

* * *

 _Eat, sleep, fight, repeat._

Kirito mouthed these words as he laid on a mattress stacked on a mattress stacked on a mattress, his old motto of surviving a couple of months ago. Hygiene was unnecessary apart from health issues but smelling terrible masked him from the undead. Unfortunately, it made it easier for hostile humans to target him, so he coated himself with nature.

Humming quietly, he stretched, his bones cracking satisfyingly loud as he sighed, thinking about the past hour before tensing up.

"What the?" He murmured, eyes wide in shock as he didn't move, frozen in place as his emotions all crashed into the empty space where his heart once lived. Instantly, it was revived, pumping blood to his cold body as his previous and current morals clashed; a war of emotions, memories, morals and hate.

When had he become so complacent? When had he become so careless? When did he let others in unknowingly and treat them kindly, becoming a pillar of support for them when he so desperately needed one himself?

Taking a shaky breath, Kirito eased up as he exhaled deeply, sitting up and leaning against the wall as he rubbed his temples, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Heh... heh, heh." Covering his eyes, the teen felt something warm trail down his face. Shocked, he slowly brought his hand down and gingerly touched the droplet of salty water threatening to fall off his chin. Tenderly, he poked it, breaking the thin shell as it disappeared before rubbing his eyes as more tears on the verge of falling were erased. Tears were a sign of weakness. Weakness equaled death. Death equaled-

 _Knock Knock_

"Kirito?" Wiping his face with the sleeves of his shirt, he sighed, hoping his eyes weren't red and puffy. "Can I come in?"

"…" Slowly pulling his long-sleeved shirt off, he massaged his head before sighing again. "Come in." His voice was hoarse.

As the door creaked open, Sinon quietly shut it before turning around. Gasping quietly, she felt her cheeks grow warm before shaking her head.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting on the end of the bed. "You feeling alright?"

"…"

Remaining still, an awkward silence surrounded the two teenagers, neither daring to speak or move.

Spinning around, Sinon blurted out "Hey, I-!"

Only for Kirito to freeze as well, mouth slightly open as the same words left his mouth. Looking into each other's eyes, Sinon admired how deep and honest his onyx eyes were whilst Kirito noticed the ice in hers melt and form into a vast, tropical ocean. Realizing they were staring at each other, the two teenagers blushed, Sinon averting her gaze as Kirito coughed before sighing.

"Sorry," the teen said, the red tint barely visible on his somewhat pale skin. "What were you going to say?"

Clearing her throat, the blush disappeared as she sighed.

"I was going to ask if you were feeling better since yesterday," Sinon said as she stood up, moving next to the boy before sitting down on the mattress, leaning against the wall whilst maintaining a respectable distance from him. "You were burning up, so I got a bit worried."

"Sinon? Worrying about me?" Kirito asked incredulously. As Sinon glared at him, baring her teeth, the boy chuckled. "Yeah, sorry. I should be fine in a couple of days."

"Let me check your temperature again." Having learned the consequences, Kirito didn't stop her as she leaned forwards, the back of her hand pressed against his forehead.

"So?"

"It's better than yesterday," Sinon said as she returned to her original position. As they both sat there in silence, Kirito sighed.

"Sorry about breaking my end," he muttered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

"Are you talking about when you stayed behind?" She asked, her voice a bare whisper.

Kirito nodded. "You said, 'Promise me to come back safely,' didn't you?"

". . ."

"Sinon?"

"You were more worried about breaking the promise that then your own life?"

"Well, if I died, I'd be breaking that promise then, wouldn't I?"

. . .

Sinon snorted as Kirito's lips curled into a small smile. Playfully punching him in the shoulder, Kirito feigned a hurt expression, making Sinon giggle.

"Really though," the teen said, a hint of his smile reaching his eyes. "Sorry."

"Is what Ichiro said true?" The girl asked. "I mean, getting tackled off the roof?"

"Yeah." Kirito's face soured. "I didn't even notice him, and yet he managed to sneak up and tackle me off the edge."

"How'd you survive?"

Grinning, Kirito flexed as he pointed at his arm. "With these bad boys, I can survive anything!"

"If you're talking about your muscles the size of mussels, then you are completely mistaken," Sinon replied curtly.

"How about a dangerous amount of good and bad luck combined with the ability to absolutely bullshit my way through anything?"

"Hmm, I don't know, Kirito. It sounds dangerously close to how Klein acts, except he only has bad luck with women and doesn't know how to stop drinking."

"Are you calling me a sorry drunk?"

"Don't let Klein hear you say that."

"Hey!"

As Sinon giggled, Kirito's expression changed. He was no longer serious, but instead, he was relaxed, his eyes no longer flicking from spot to spot.

The two kept chatting, mocking and insulting each other with flair, each jab sent back with twice the ferocity. Their conversation; if you could even call it that – grew so loud that it drowned out the sound of knuckles rapping against the door and the slight groan it made as it was opened partially.

'You know what? If this is what it's like to have emotions, then I'm fine with being weak,' the teen thought as he rolled to the side before darting forwards, catching the girl off guard before his fingers raced up her sides, the girl laughing as tickle onslaught continued.

Heathcliff smiled as he closed the door and walked away, the two teenagers undisturbed in their battle.

"Commander?" Noticing Yuuki, he saw her eyes sparkle, no longer confined in the depressed cell she had trapped herself within. Raising a single finger to his lips, he smiled and swept out of the building, the younger girl confused.

Shrugging, Yuuki made her way to the room Kirito was staying in.

"I'm here Big Bro!~" Opening the door, her smile faltered as she saw Kirito on all fours above Sinon, their faces slightly red as they panted, grins plastered to their faces.

"Y-Y-Yuuki!"

"Big Bro!~" Yuuki pouted as she shut the door with her foot. "How could you leave me out of this?'

"W-What?" Kirito stuttered as the younger girl leaped onto his back. Not prepared, he rolled to the side, only to fall off onto the ground.

"So? Let's start already!"

"Y-Yuuki! It's not like that!"

* * *

Yawning, Kirito stretched in his bed before sighing, his body weary and tired. Despite his sore joints, the teen slowly rose before another yawn ambushed him as he moved towards the door. Letting his body move, he sighed as his eyes adjusted to the warm glow peeking through the door, giggling as the tired boy stumbled through before running away, leading him towards the exit of the building.

 _ **-This part was written after a long period of Hiatus, so, the writing style has changed a bit as I'm experimenting-**_

 **CLANG**

 **CLANG**

 **CLANG**

 _ **Hssssss**_

Raising her hammer, beads of sweat ran down her face as she concentrated, sparks exploding outwards from each time the hammer made contact with the glowing, unfinished blade. Picking it up, Lis gripped the unfinished handle of the blade before lowering it into a trough, dousing the metal with water. As steam hissed and rose into the sky, the girl waited patiently for the metal to cool before bringing it out carefully. Holding the blade vertically, she inspected it, checking for any signs of it losing its straight edge before sighing with relief. Placing it firmly in clamps, they kept the blade upright as she turned around to face the sheathe laying on the anvil. Grinning, she hefted it up with a grunt, holding it close to her chest before placing it delicately in a vertical stand designed for it.

"You know, I'm surprised you went through with that project. Everybody who's tried it has failed."

Glancing at the direction of the voice, Lis smirked.

"Well, it _is_ the hardest weapon to make here," she said as her hands slowly ran over the sheathe, the countless engravings intricate and important. "I thought you were insane, suggesting this idea, but it's actually pretty nifty. Hell, if we could make weapons like this whenever we could, we wouldn't have that much of a problem with the undead!"

"Well, it is from a video game, so if it even works to begin with, I'll be surprised." Bustling through the makeshift doorway, a tall, lean boy of his early sixteens hurried to an anvil, carefully dropping off a couple ingots of raw iron as he sighed. Running his hands through his unkempt hair, the dark brown was mixed with oil and dirt, making it a combination of brown and black. Grabbing a pair of blacksmith tongs, he picked up an ingot before making his way towards a charcoal forge, placing the metal inside it before relaxing.

"Heh, I'll make a better weapon then you, Garr."

"I told you! My name is Garry Stu!"

Clearly annoyed, the teen almost dropped the molten ingot as he placed it on an anvil, his hammer worn from countless projects as he slammed it into the metal.

 **Clang**

 **Clang**

 **Clang**

With each strike, the metal condensed, becoming stronger as the bright glow began to slowly dull. Turning it over onto its side, he hammered that side as well, creating a rough rectangular prism before using his tongs to heat it to melting point again. As he worked, Lis checked her blade, making sure the heat tempering worked again before she removed it from its clamps before making her way to a simple wooden stool. Sitting down, she rested the blade flat across her legs as she grabbed a file, checking it before sighing. As the girl worked, the boy continued forging, shaping the metal into a long, elegant blade. Finishing the rough design, he grinned like a child as he ran his finger down the raw iron.

 _ **Sccrrr**_

 _ **Sccrrr**_

As the file slowly grinded away the excess metal, Lis wiped away the sweat from her brow as the heat from the forge intensified. Without complaining, she continued cleaning up her blade, removing jagged metal with clean, shiny steel left behind, gleaming in the dull light.

 _thud_

 _Thud_

 _ **Thud**_

Peeking in through the doorway, Kirito looked around before noticing Lis and 'Garr' working. Sighing, he went to leave, only for Lis to whip around and glare at him.

"Ahh, hi?"

 _ **BANG**_

Five minute later with a bruise on his forehead, Kirito held ice to his injury as Lis and 'Garr' worked on their weapons.

30 minutes later and Kirito fiddled with a stray piece of wire, sweating profusely from the heat of the workshop.

Two hours later with food in his hand, Kirito quietly ate his chips as the two came close to finishing off their weapons with the help of magic.

Four hours in and Kirito yawned, only to have two shiny weapons thrusted into his face.

"Now," Lis began.

"Choose," 'Garr' added.

"Your," Lis said.

"Weapon," 'Garr' finished.

Looking between the two, Kirito first picked up the simple dagger before feeling it between both his hands. The teen tested the edge, the weight, balancing and durability before he noticed a strange notch in the side. Frowning, he looked at 'Garr' who gestured for him to pry it open. With a grunt, Kirito pulled the blade in half, only to gasp in surprise.

"What the?"

An exact replica of the dagger in his right hand was now in his left, their thickness halved. Testing them out, Kirito found out that the daggers were lighter but kept their sharpness and durability.

Pushing them back together, the daggers transformed back into one.

"That's pretty cool," Kirito said as he handed it back, making 'Garr' grin. "However, I don't see how that will be practical in battle." Seeing the teen deflate, he gave him a small smile. "Still, if you could do this with throwing knives, it'd be pretty handy."

Looking over at Lis's weapon, Kirito gripped it by the handle before standing up. Taking a few test swings, he murmured and nodded his head before frowning as his finger grazed past a small lump. Pushing down on the button, he flinched as the blade suddenly started glowing, intricate runes and symbols lining the blade, hilt and handle. The teen frowned as he lifted the blade; the weight no longer a problem.

"Is this a magic weapon?" Kirito asked as he tapped the button again, the runes fading and the weight of the metal returning. As Lis nodded, the teen sighed. "It's a nice touch, but..." 'Garr' seemed to lean forward, curious and excited as Lis looked slightly worried. "Wouldn't this affect the swords capabilities?"

"What do you mean?" Lis asked as Kirito handed her back the sword.

"Sure, you can get multiple more swings out and be a whole lot faster," Kirito said as he sat back down. "But what happens if you're in a one on one battle?"

'Garr' nodded. "I see where you're coming from with this. Essentially, without the weight of the blade, it could easily throw the user off, and when in a clash, with the missing weight no longer supporting you, you'd have to rely on your own physical strength to push through or something like that?"

Kirito nodded.

Lis sighed. "I see." The girl sighed again before spinning around, pointing her finger at 'Garr'. "Let's call this a draw for now!"

"Yeah yeah, sure," 'Garr' said. "Also, my name is Ken. I'm sick of calling myself Garry Stu." Ken chucked as he walked out of the workshop. "Hell, I _wish_ I was a Garry Stu."

Lis scoffed. "Shut up, let's go."

As they left, Kirito sighed and walked out of the room, a single, white pill untouched on the ground where the teens once stood. The forge fire flickered before disappearing, cloaking the workshop in darkness.

* * *

 **Authors Notes (old): I've made some changes to previous chapters. CH4 and CH3 has been updated with " instead of ' and some lines changed. Nothing too groundbreaking, just to help fix up some issues. I know this story isn't perfect and that there are errors somewhere, but I can damn say with confidence that this story right now is One Of A Kind! (Not a reference to my** _ **other**_ **story, suck it) Sure, post-apocalyptic world with humanity struggling to survive and magic is now a thing. Yeah, yeah, very cliché or common sounding, isn't it? But now, tell me this. How many stories out there about SAO are actually about this? Only one comes to mind and is similar, and that is Last Stand from which this story was influenced from. Unless you can name ten straight from your head without researching, then suck it. If you can, then sue me.**

 **Also, before you saying anything about the scene with Yuuki, she is currently** _ **13**_ **, okay? She doesn't exactly have all the knowledge she needs yet, alright? Besides, pretty much everyone in the world has been matured through bloodshed except for some innocent little kids that were either lucky enough to not see or just somehow weren't affected or something, I don't know.**

 **Current Age List For The Characters that I've bothered with**

 **Heathcliff – Age ?**

 **Kayaba Akihiko – Age ?**

 **Argo – Age 15 (Wasn't sure so I just threw a curveball here. Anyone knows her real age in canon or the games, would be appreciated)**

 **Yuuki – Age 13**

 **Kirito – Age 15**

 **Teizen – Age 14**

 **Sinon – Age 14**

 **Asuna – Age 16**

 **Planning – Part 1**

 **Continuing on, thanks to Fail for checking my first chapter. I'll go back and fix it when I have the time.**

 **Now, on to more serious things. My hiatus. This break was something I really needed. I've been piecing myself together very slowly, but I'm back, so expect some stellar writing! But seriously, I update all my stories saying I'm taking a break and I wake the next with about 20 notifications about follows and favorites?**

 **. . .**

 **Why?**

 **Also, Fail, I doubt you'll see this but I made Kirito intentionally powerful and edgy af for certain reasons. And with following the characters to a 'T' as you put it? Once you mentioned that, I had a great idea and it'll be implemented in the coming chapter.**

 **Also, go check out Dark Realities as it'll be getting the love it needs/updates more often then this story. You seriously have no idea how hard it is to write an AU like this (unless you have... which is an achievement in itself).**

 **[THIS IS CURRENT ME]**

Alright, here it is. The last chapter for A Game Of Life And Death before it goes on hiatus (kinda). Basically, I'm going to keep writing for this, but not as much as before as Dark Realities has my full, utmost attention.

Now, as of now, I'm off hiatus. Not officially, but I'm pretty much off hiatus. I'm feeling much better, and my mental health is pretty stable... I think. I'll update my profile once I finish all my exams/assessments/assignments that I have at the moment.

Anyway, what do you think of the chapter? Majority of this was already written except for the last part, and I didn't get too add the last 2-3 parts I wanted to. If I did, this chapter would've been well over 10,000 words long, but I suppose 5,000 – 6,000 is pretty good as well. Tell me if there are any errors or problems I should know of; I simply don't have the time to proofread this at the moment. Most of all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

\- Striderm8

PS: Enjoy your hiatus Den3424.


	10. Spirit Reaper

**A Game Of Life And Death**

 **Sorry for the wait. Here's your next chapter! Big reveals in this, so make sure to read the AN at the bottom as well!**

* * *

Walking through the ghettos, Kirito was lost in thought as he traversed his new temporary home.

How could the others be happy with their current situation? Did they not know of the horrors of the current world? How could they act as if nothing was wrong half the time? Kirito shook his head and sighed. He would never understand the girls and their attitude towards the world. It was as if they were drugged into thinking everything was still fine.

"Kirito."

Stopping in his tracks, the teen glanced around and saw Heathcliff standing by the entrance to a building. Walking over, the teen stopped beside the man and nodded.

"Need something."

Heathcliff gestured towards the entrance to the building. "The leaders of the ghettos wish to meet us. Since I represent the fortress, you classify as a lone survivor."

Kirito sighed. "Alright, let's go then."

The two walked in at the same pace, disappearing into the darkness of the building.

Upon entering, Kirito couldn't help but notice the distinct difference from outside to the inside. The outside of the building was decrepit; barely held together and looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. However, the inside was a different story. As Heathcliff led the way, Kirito noted how pillars supported the ceiling, and how the inside was furbished as if it was still before the incident.

"Ah, there you are."

Making their way towards the source of noise, the two men stopped in front of a round table in a small room. Hearing the doors shut behind him, Kirito noted the two men who stood by the doors, weapons by their sides.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Heathcliff said.

"Please, take a seat."

Sitting down, Heathcliff remained as passive as ever as Kirito sat beside him. He counted the people at the people.

Ichiro was present as his eyes flashed recognition. A teenager near Kirito's age was seated beside Ichiro, his features similar and sharper as a stern expression remained on his face. A man with wavy brown hair and matching eyes gave him a warm smile despite the bags under his eyes. The woman beside him nodded, her long silver hair tied up in a ponytail. Next to the woman was a man with hair that resembled that of a cactus and a small goatee, and beside him, a man with short blue hair. The last chair was vacant.

"Well, now that we are all here, let's start. Shall we?"

The others nodded and murmured in agreement as the man with wavy hair stood up

"My name is Thinker," he said. "I'm in charge of managing the people so no problems occur in our little society."

"My name is Julier," the woman said. "I'm in charge of water and food supplies here in the ghettos."

The teen beside Ichiro raised his head and looked at Kirito. "Teizen. In charge of defense for the ghettos."

Ichiro sighed. "Ichiro. I train our soldi- ahem, fighters for defense."

"Kibaou," the cactus-haired man said as he pointed his thumb at himself. Pure arrogance radiated from his body. "Don't forget the name. I'm in charge of sanitary problems."

Kirito nodded.

"My name is Diavel," the blue haired-man said, his voice laced with sleepiness. "I'm in charge of anything that doesn't fall into their roles." He pointed at the others.

Heathcliff nodded.

"So, who are you two?"

Heathcliff stood up as Thinker waited patiently for an answer.

"My name is Heathcliff," the commander said. "Before our group came across the ghettos, I was the commander of one of the seven fortresses."

"You have one of the fortresses?" Kibaou shouted in shock. Kirito noticed the greed glinting in his eyes.

"Had," Heathcliff corrected as he sat back down. "We ran across one of the other fortresses created. Unfortunately, it was overrun by a group of dangerous people, and in the end, both fell and were destroyed."

"I see." Thinker frowned. "What happened to all of the people on board?"

Heathcliff shook his head. "We lost many in the crash and the battle afterwards. We managed to find a safe location, but it was also compromised by the same group. The people we arrived here with are all we have left."

Ichiro, seated beside Heathcliff, patted him on the shoulder.

"It mustn't be easy for you," he said softly.

Heathcliff gave him a small smile before everyone focused on Kirito.

"So," Thinker asked. "Who are you?"

Kirito slowly stood up and sighed.

"My name is Kirito, and I'm a lone survivor. I stumbled across bandits attacking some of Heathcliff's people scavenging for materials and went with them back to the fortress."

"Is that all?"

The teen glanced at Teizen.

"You're hiding more then you let on," he said calmly as he crossed his arms. "Spill."

"I'm also a **Spirit Reaper** ," he said softly, earning mutters of disbelief.

"Bullshit!" Kibaou shouted as he slammed his hands against the table. "Hunters are a bunch of lies made to scare people! You're telling me that you kill people just because they pose a threat?"

"I stopped a while ago," Kirito snapped back. "It isn't easy to do what they do, and I still regret what I've done to this point. You wouldn't have wanted to have seen and done what I have…"

Silence fell over the table as Kirito stopped talking, a dark expression on his face.

"Do you have any proof that you are a… hunter?" Thinker asked.

Kirito hesitated for a long time then nodded.

"Are you sure you want to see this?" He asked, his voice soft. "I can't guarantee this place's safety if I do."

"I believe we'll be fine, kid," Ichiro said. "Show us when you're ready."

Kirito sighed. "Alright. No one speak a word of this." He glanced at the men by the door. "You two can come over here if you wish."

As everyone gathered around, Kirito grimaced as a dark symbol began to forge itself onto the back of his left hand. Dark flames coated his hand before disappearing, leaving behind the signature design of a spirit reaper; black flames with a scythe cutting through.

The teen began to pant as the symbol dispersed, snapping everyone out of their stupor.

"So that's the legendary hunter symbol," Thinker murmured as he sat back down in his seat. "To think that they actually exist and aren't just myth."

Teizen sat silently, his expression stoic. "How did you become a spirit reaper to begin with?"

As everyone sat down, Kirito let out a sigh as he collapsed into his seat.

"It's... personal."

Teizen leaned forward in his seat. "What do you mean it's _personal_?"

Kirito grit his teeth. "I can't and won't tell," he said, his tone ending the conversation. "Now, what's the main point of this meeting?"

Thinker frowned as he leaned back in his seat. "It's about the undead."

Instantly, everyone sat straighter in their chairs.

"Now," Thinker continued. "We all know that Ichiro kill a large amount of them left in the city, but it seems that that little stunt caught the attention of a dangerous undead we've managed to avoid until now."

Ichiro frowned. "It's the one we named 'Nagoya', right?"

Thinker nodded. "Correct. It's the stage six undead that destroyed Nagoya alongside multiple stage three and four undead. That explosion seems to have alerted it and it is now on its way here."

"How much time?" Heathcliff asked.

"I'd say three days," Teizen said. "They may be big and clumsy, and despite being slow, they travel a lot of ground because of their sheer size." The teen looked at Ichiro. "We don't have any more weapons to take them down, do we?"

Ichiro shook his head. "We don't. The closest thing we've got to a nuclear weapon would be the scarce few magic casters we have left, and I doubt they'll do much.

"Ahem." Everyone turned to face Heathcliff. "If you allow us to, I'd be willing to extend help to this place in exchange for a deal."

"A deal?" Kibaou stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "You want to make a deal when we're already letting you stay here for fre-?"

"Enough!"

Instantly, Kibaou went silent as he slowly sat down. Kirito glared at Kibaou and Heathcliff as he stood up.

"We'll protect the ghettos," the teen said. "Start preparing an area somewhere in the city to fight the undead alongside an evacuation plan for the people in case we fail. We'll need every person who can survive a fight with a stage three undead to help us. The others will just be a hindrance."

Walking away from the table, Kirito stopped at the door. "I'll be back in two days, three at the latest." The door swung shut as the men and woman gathered around the table sat there in silence.

Letting out a sigh, Heathcliff stood up and left the room, leaving behind the ghetto leaders who remained in silence.

* * *

"Kirito!"

The teen continued making his way through the ghettos, walking past families and the like.

"Mommy, when will we get to see Papa?"

"Patience dear, he'll be back soon."

Kirito grit his teeth as he walked faster, the chatter of adults and laughter of children filling his ears. Opening a door, he walked through into a burnt room, a lone wardrobe blocking a hole in the wall.

"Kirito!"

The teen came to a stop at one of the exits, his body coated in shadows. Turning around, Kirito faced Sinon as she sighed.

"Where are you going?"

The teen turned back around and continued walking, moving aside the wardrobe before pushing aside a burnt tapestry, revealing a hole in the wall.

Stepping through, Kirito frowned as Sinon followed him. Pulling the wardrobe back into place, the teen walked forwards, his boots crunching on broken stone as the remains of a roof cast a shadow over him.

"Why are you following me?"

Kirito jumped forward, clearing the crevice in the earth. He turned partially as Sinon jumped across. As she landed, he walked forwards onto a broken road, the concrete torn up violently.

"Where are you going?"

"Why are you following me?"

Sinon sighed. "I asked first so answer- Mmrmph!"

"We're not in the ghettos anymore," Kirito whispered, slowly moving his hand off her mouth. "Keep it down." The teen went to move away before turning back around. "And to answer your question... away from here. I need to come to an agreement with them."

Sinon scowled at Kirito's cryptic message. "Them? Who the hell is them?"

The teen shrugged. "Not your problem, so head back."

"I'm here already," Sinon replied curtly. "So, where are we headed?"

Kirito sighed and continued walking. "I already told you. I'm going away from here."

"We," Sinon corrected.

"Fine, we," the teen snapped, irritated. "So, start walking. We need to be out of the city before sundown."

Sinon gave a lazy salute, a small grin on her face. "Yes boss."

* * *

Pulling himself up with ease, Kirito knelt by the edge of the cliff-face and held his hand out. As Sinon grabbed his hand, he pulled her up before looking down at the consumed city. Skyscrapers crisscrossed against each other and half of the city was split in half before thrown into each other, only for Mother Nature to slowly reclaim itself, the buildings sinking into the ground.

"To believe this used to be Nagoya," he murmured.

"This was Nagoya?"

Kirito nodded in response. "Thinker named a stage six undead 'Nagoya' because it destroyed the city Nagoya. I'm pretty sure this is Nagoya judging from the surroundings remaining."

Sinon just shrugged. "Fair enough. Whose Thinker?"

"One of the ghetto leaders," the teen replied as he turned away. "Come on, we've got to keep moving."

Walking towards the horizon, the two teenagers walked in silence, their boots brushing past once lush-green grass as the sun set behind the clouds. Hues of orange and pink mixed together, barely penetrating the dense clouds.

Jumping across another crevice, Kirito waited for Sinon to leap before he kept walking. Glancing at his surroundings, earth was cracked and uprooted in countless locations with patches of green grass everywhere. Rubble was spread out in clusters, some thick, some small.

The two remained in silence as their surrounds slowly turned dark, everything changing into dark hues of blue and black as the moon's rays pierced the hidden clouds.

Eventually, Kirito came to a sudden stop in the middle of a clearing. Waving his hand, Sinon felt a sudden chill race down her spine before disappearing.

"There's no undead nearby," Kirito said. "We should be safe to camp here for now."

"How can you use all this magic?" Sinon blurted out before flushing. "Not to come off as rude, but you say your experimenting then sudden start using it naturally. Are you hiding something or?"

Kirito sighed as walked towards a thick cluster of rubble. "I'll try to explain," he said, grabbing a armful of flammable material. Tossing it onto the ground, he continued to go back and forth until a decent amount was stacked together.

Snapping his fingers, a small flame floated above his fingertip before lighting the campfire. As flames slowly cracked to life, the two let out a synchronized sigh as they felt the warmth of the fire caress them.

"…right…" Kirito sat down and leaned back, Sinon sitting beside him. "I have a lot to explain."

Glancing at the girl beside him, he sighed. "Well, first off, have you heard of Spirit Reapers?"

"You mean hunters?" Sinon went pale. "I've heard of them. They're powerful magic users that kill undead and humans alike. They're supposed to be good, but lots of people say they're actually bad."

Kirito nodded. "They're good people, it's just that…" he hesitated before falling onto his back, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. "Sinon, I'm a spirit reaper."

"…eh?"

"Well, _former_ reaper," the teen corrected himself. "Spirit Reapers that retire are called **Hunters** and roam freely, which why they're commonly known as hunters. Anyway, the only catch is that once you retire from being a Spirit Reaper, all of your memories of bring a Spirit Reaper are essentially reaped."

"So," Kirito continued softly. "In response to your question, I guess you could say that the last two years of my life have been patchy to say the least. I've regained some memories and lost others." The teen scoffed. "If anything, I wish I didn't have them at all. The things I remember…" He shivered violently. "…I shouldn't speak of it. They might take you to force me to rejoin."

Sinon sat there in silence as Kirito slowly sat up.

"So… you used to be a hu-spirit reaper, huh?"

Kirito leaned back on one arm and sighed. "Yeah, I did."

"Why'd you give up?"

The teen frowned. "I'm no longer a fan of their methods. It used to be docile at best, but now it's just downright brutal. Most of them have gone insane, and the higher-ups can't do anything about it without having to fight."

A silence fell between the two before Kirito let out a sigh. "You can sleep if you want. I'll watch over you."

Sinon brushed aside her bangs and grinned. "You know, that makes you sound like a creep."

"H-Heh?"

The teen giggled. "It's alright. Wake me later and I'll take watch."

Kirito, face flushed, nodded as Sinon made herself comfortable besides the fire. As he sat there in silence, he heard her breathing become slower before she eventually fell asleep.

"..."

Kirito took off his jacket and carefully placed it over Sinon, the girl murmuring something incoherent in her sleep. Glancing over his shoulder, the teen didn't feel the cold seep into his body as he watched the clouds part, revealing a pale, white moon.

"..."

* * *

Walking along barren land in evening sunlight, Kirito adjusted his coat as Sinon let out a sigh from beside him.

"You know, you wouldn't be hot if you weren't wearing that," she said as Kirito frowned.

"But I like it," he replied with a smirk.

"You know it makes you look edgy, right?"

Kirito's face fell as he looked away, scratching his cheek. "...I like looking edgy..."

Sinon smiled as she remembered Kirito's social awkwardness. Coming to a stop, they looked around. "Do you know where we are now?"

"Hmm..." Kirito shook his head. "No idea."

Their surroundings consisted of patches of green grass, abandoned outback houses and undead.

With a sigh of reluctance, Kirito summoned his nightmare sword as Sinon tapped the symbol on the back of her hands. As the spectral bow appeared, Kirito gave it an approving nod before surveying the area.

"This is an unnatural amount of undead gathered... alright, I'll go ahead and take out the stragglers on the side," Kirito said as he nodded towards the left. "You can take some shots at that main group. There's no way we're getting through that thick of a group unless we thin them out first."

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Sinon let out a sigh. "I'll take some shots."

Kirito nodded.

"Alright." Sinon loaded an arrow and aimed directly at the large mass of undead blocking the way forwards. "Good luck."

Moving slowly at first, the teen quickened his pace as the stragglers snarled, picking up on his scent. Jogging lightly, he heard an arrow whistle past as he readied his sword.

 **ZHIN!**

Effortlessly slashing the once farmer in half, the teen darted forwards, killing the next undead before it could retaliate. Hearing a groan from behind, Kirito pivoted, bringing his blade around in a vicious horizontal arc.

Looking around for more stragglers, the teen quickly finished them off before glancing at Sinon. His mouth moved before he realized.

"Behind you!"

Both reacted to each other's voice. Spinning, Sinon fell backwards as she cocked back an arrow and released it instantly. As it pierced the bandit's head, Kirito ducked underneath the knife and rammed his shoulder into the bandit's gut. As he fell, the teen sliced open his throat before running over to Sinon.

"We need to get out of here," Kirito said the moment he was close. "No idea why bandits are here, but it can't be good."

"Agreed."

 **Bbrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm**

"Don't fucking worry," the teen sighed. "I'd prefer we be able to run, but given their transport..."

"Luck isn't on our side today," she muttered.

Standing next to each other, the two teens stood at the ready. As the sound of engines grew closer, Kirito's eyes widened.

 _ **BANG BANG!**_

Sinon gasped as Kirito suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Run!"

Turning around, Sinon growled as she found the undead blocking her path, the former humans slowly shuffling forwards. Lifting her bow, the girl cocked back multiple arrows and let loose, the spectral arrows nailing multiple undead.

Hearing the bark of gunfire, Sinon risked a look behind her, only for her jaw to drop.

 _ **ZHIN! ZHIN! ZHIN! ZHIN!**_

"I can't do this forever," Kirito shouted as the bandit cars got closer and closer. "Clear us a path through the undead!"

Pulling the string taunt, Sinon struggled as a cold sweat dripped down her face.

'I will not die here!'

With a shout of desperation, Sinon pulled the string back even further, creating a larger arrow that shone. Without hesitation, she let go, the arrow streaking towards the undead. Time seemed to slow down as the arrow pierced the first undead before ploughing through the rest. As time resumed its normal pace, Sinon watched with wide eyes as the bodies of the dead flew into the sky, disintegrating into blue-purple particles.

"Let's go!"

Feeling Kirito grab her hand, Sinon let out a yelp before regaining her balance. Running alongside Kirito, the undead made fruitless attempts to scratch the teens.

Taking a wild look behind her, Sinon watched as the undead closed the gap, leaving the bandits with a large mass of angry rank ones.

"They'll try to run," Kirito said as Sinon looked ahead again. "It won't work."

Sinon huffed as she set her pace. "And why's that?"

"You usually kill undead before they can do this," Kirito eventually said between breaths. "But if you get too close and manage to escape, the undead target the closest living creature and kill it."

"...that doesn't sound that bad."

Kirito shook his head as they kept running. "It triggers something like an outrage mode where they become extremely fast and savage. Thankfully it's only for the lower tiers of undead." Glancing behind, Kirito slowed down before coming to a stop. "We should be safe here for a bit."

Panting, the two teens caught their breath before letting out a collective sigh.

"So, where to now?"

Kirito scratched his chin as he looked around.

"Kirito."

The teen glanced at Sinon who was pointing at a mountain covered in trees in the distance.

"Think you could fly us over there?"

"...eh?"

* * *

"This is so refreshing~"

"Glad you can enjoy the view."

"Quit grumbling."

Kirito muttered something incoherent as Sinon sat on his shoulders, smiling as the wind pushed back her hair. The teen's black wings glittered as the girl enjoyed watching the sun slowly set, sending hues of yellow, orange and purple cascading over the horizon.

"Hey, Kirito?"

The teen shifted mid-flight. "What?"

"Do you think we would've met if the Incident didn't occur?"

"...no..." Kirito eventually murmured, barely loud enough for Sinon to hear.

With nothing but the gentle rush of wind filling their ears, an awkward silence fell over the two teens as the slowly approached the mountain. As they were close to landing, Kirito let out a silent sigh.

"Sinon, I'm going to land soon."

"Mm."

Slowing down, Kirito straightened himself up as he held onto Sinon's legs so she wouldn't fall. Touching the ground, he stumbled forwards before coming to a stop.

"You good to get off?"

"...yeah."

Moving his hands, he felt Sinon hop off his back before turning around. The opened his mouth but failed to speak. Eventually...

"I'll go find some wood for a fire," they said in unison before flushing.

"I-I'll get some wood from those trees," Kirito muttered quickly as he walked off.

As he approached the thicket, the teen couldn't but think about her words.

Would they have met? Under the circumstances he was in and her own personal life, would he have truly met this girl? They were different and most likely lived in different cities. Regardless of their situations, Kirito had spoken the truth in response.

No, they wouldn't.

It was impossible, really. He was a prodigy kendo champ at a young age. While his mum would've let him be like other kids his age, his father... No, there was no way he would let him do as he wished. He was his lovely guinea pig that was expected to follow explicit instructions. The only reason he did kendo was to escape his father, but he knew he would have to eventually return.

In a way, Kirito knew he should thank his father, despite the experiments he conducted. Without them, Kirito knew he wouldn't have survived this harsh new world. His physical prowess and magical capabilities; all unlocked due to the man he hates. The man that sacrificed his life for his. All out of 'love'.

Kirito came to a stop in front of the thicket.

"..."

Rubbing his temples, the teen let out a heavy sigh, one that held conflicted emotions a teenager should never have experienced.

"It's time to move on," he murmured to himself before entering the thicket.

* * *

'Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!'

Sinon mentally slapped herself as she cleared out an area for a fire.

How could she ask such a question? A stupid one at that? It was rude to say things like that in this new world, especially to someone you barely knew! Sure, she knew that Kirito was a good person, but she couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was hurting, bad. The look in his jaded eyes, the way he kept helping others despite his own pain...

Sinon sighed.

Everyone had their own problems, and she knew that well. Her friends – despite not showing it – suffered from many themselves. For that, they took special medicine from their doctor/scientist Kayaba. Personally, she had only taken the drug he had supplied once but refused to take it after. It made everything feel like... well, a mere dream, like nothing really mattered. It made her feel terrible, especially when it made some of the lives she had taken feel like nothing bad happened.

Taking a life should not feel like it doesn't matter; Sinon knew this all too well. After all, she herself, knows how heavy the guilt of killing someone was. A guilt that her friends didn't seem to share.

She had her suspicions, sure, but she also had evidence to back it. All she had to do was approach Kayaba about it... whenever she found where the sly man was.

Sinon let out a sigh. Glancing around at her work, a fallen log was placed near a circle of stone to sit on.

Hearing approaching footsteps, she turned as Kirito dumped the assortment of wood for the fire in the circle of flames. Clicking his fingers, a spark flickered before he lit the wood on fire.

Sitting down on the log, Sinon shivered before joining the teen. An awkward silence fell over the two.

"So-,"

 _Thud_

"You were cold last night," Kirito muttered as he looked away, the last of the waning light disappearing underneath the horizon. As the moon slowly rose, Sinon went to give his trench coat back, only for the teen to shake his head.

"Why?" Sinon asked.

"Because you'll get cold" he replied bluntly.

"What about you?"

"I don't get cold easily. Besides, I like the cold."

"Well..." Sinon's face went slightly red. "At least come here so we can share it."

"H-Huh?"

Sinon blushed, embarrassed. "Just come here already!"

"O-Okay."

Ignoring each other's blushes, Kirito sat next to Sinon before she draped the coat over both of them. Despite physical contact on the flight there, both teens looked away, trying to hide their red faces as their bodies touched.

As the moon rose higher into the sky, the night got colder as a breeze passed by. Shivering, Sinon shuffled closer to the fire, forcing Kirito to follow. Eventually, they sat right in front of it, huddled together in his coat which barely managed to accommodate both of them despite its size.

Together, they sat in silence, basking in each other's warmth whilst fighting the red tint on their face.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Kirito suddenly looked up. "Did you hear that?"

Sinon frowned. "Hear what?"

Standing up, Kirito summoned his nightmare blade which seemed to make the air vibrate.

"Sinon, get your bow."

 _Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud_

In the dead of the night, the slight shimmer of a bow being summoned could be heard just over the slight hissing of the blade. Crickets dared not chirp as the sound of hooves approaching became louder and louder.

"They're here," Kirito said softly.

 _ **THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD**_

Holding their position, Kirito watched as four onyx horses appeared out of a dense fog coming from the thicket. With a grimace, he raised his sword and aimed it at them.

"Ah, he was waiting for us," one rasped out, its skeletal fingers drumming against the horse. "Then you know why we are here."

Kirito held his arm out, blocking Sinon from advancing.

"Ahhh~, I can smell it from here." As a horse snorted, one of the men cloaked in black sighed, hot embers escaping his mouth. "Ohoho, I'm getting excited now!"

"We're not here for that," another man snapped. "We're here for **him**."

"Sure," a female voice rung out from among the four. "Let's get this over and done with. Who knows what they'll do while we are gone."

"Who are they?" Sinon asked quietly as Kirito sighed.

"Death, War, Famine and Pestilence," he replied as the horsemen bickered amongst each other. "The leaders of the Spirit Reapers, each with their own little faction. I'm surprised you'd come all the way out here for me."

"Well, it was your own foolishness that brought us here," Death said, his voice raspy as he lifted his skeletal finger. "I thought you would know better then this, my son. To show them that quickly..."

More embers burst out from underneath War's hood. "Hah! Does it really matter? They'll probably be dead in three days!"

"Tsk! If you let me, I'll gladly starve them to death!"

 _ **SLAP**_

"You're doing it to all of Japan already," Pestilence said as she rubbed her hand. "Calm down. Besides, you need to lay off for a bit as well. The other countries said they aren't afraid to send some of their own to deal with you."

"Ehh?" Famine whipped around and glared at Pestilence. "Hell no! Who would replace me?" Famine glared at Kirito. "Him? Death already claimed him."

"I believe that boy you saved would be fine," Death rasped out. "He would be most likely be a better Famine then you."

"Not you too!"

"Are you done yet?" The four horsemen and Kirito looked at Sinon in shock. "I was expecting something different, but all I see is three men and a woman acting like fools."

"Hmm," War stroked his jaw from underneath his face. "That takes guts. I like you, girlie. What's your name?"

"Sinon," she replied curtly as she folded her arms. "Assuming from your names, you are supposed to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, no?"

Pestilence giggled as she threw back her hood, revealing her tan skin and flowing platinum-blonde hair.

"I think we'll get along great, Si-n-on!"

Kirito stepped in front of Sinon as Pestilence pouted, the teen ignoring the devastating beauty of Pestilence.

"Pestilence, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't try and steal my friend," Kirito muttered.

"Ahhh~ Kazu-kun got a girlfriend!"

Kirito flushed as Sinon's face turned redder then a tomato.

"Sinon is not my girlfriend," Kirito said calmly despite his glowing face. "And don't call me Kazu-kun. No one uses honorifics anymore, and my name is Kirito, Pest."

"Ahh, I'm hurt!~ Wait, how does she have your coat? You never let others use it?"

Ignoring Pestilence, Kirito walked towards War.

"Hey, War," he said. "How long has it been since we've talked?"

"Hmph," War snorted. "You wouldn't remember, but it was two-hundred and forty-seven days ago."

Kirito flinched. "H-Heh, sorry." The teen turned to Famine and merely nodded respectfully, the man returning the favor. Looking at Death, the man dismounted, his horse disappearing into darkness.

"Death," Kirito said.

"Son," Death replied.

Kneeling on the spot, Death stepped forwards.

"Rise," he commanded.

Standing up, Kirito looked into Death's face; a dirty, pale-gold skull.

"It has been to long, my son," Death said as he embraced Kirito.

"I'm sorry, father."

Sinon stood there, bewildered as the other horsemen dismounted and walked towards her.

"They'll be a while," Pestilence giggled as she sat down besides the fire. "Death hasn't seen Kazu in over a year since the incident."

"Incident?"

"Mm," War responded to Sinon. "Where we work, the boy somehow found his way in and got attacked." Swiping his hand, the fire erupted into the night sky as Pestilence cheered. "He was hurt bad but defended himself well without anyone. Afterwards, Death saw him and immediately took him away. They've got a father-son relationship from what we've seen. Though, this was years ago."

War let out a sigh, hot embers soaring into the night sky before fizzling out.

"Anyway, he was integrated into our society and was accepted," War continued. "The boy was talented enough to stand amongst the stronger members, but some were jealous and later attacked him because of this."

"Yeah, and we all know the rest," Famine muttered as he stood in front of the fire.

Clicking, the flames suddenly consumed Famine's body.

"Really?" He asked.

War nodded as Famine sighed, the fire disappearing from his body.

"Continuing on," War muttered before clearing his throat. "Kirito retired from being a Spirit Reaper and became a Hunter after that. He lost some memories due to the process but kept most of them." War sighed, the fire sinking, responding to his mood. "He's still young, and yet he's been subjected to so many horrors in this world." The fire flared. "Still, I don't regret it. You humans created this mess, so you humans can fix this."

"Oi," Pestilence said, her voice low. "Say too much and we'll have to kill her."

. . .

. .

.

.

. .

. . .

"Well, now you've gone and done it," Famine muttered under his breath. "Way to kill the mood."

Pestilence blew a raspberry in his direction and sighed.

War cleared his throat. "Anyway, who are _you_ exactly? Our **Black Swordsman** is usually solo."

"Black Swordsman?" Sinon muttered.

War shook his head. "Well, he hasn't said too much, so that's good at the very least."

Sinon shook her head as the bow dispersed. "I don't know a 'Black Swordsman', but I do know a Kirito. He's helped our group ever since we met him. Since then, he's stuck around."

"Kazu helped your group?" Pestilence asked in disbelief. "Hmm, that doesn't sound like him." She glanced at Famine who shrugged. "Oh well, I'll ask him when we go back to HQ."

"You're taking him to your Headquarters?"

Pestilence stood up and pumped her fists. "Hell yeah! We all need to have a talk with him!"

"B-But-!"

"You can come with if you want," War interrupted. "Though, it depends on Death."

Sinon pulled Kirito's coat tighter around her body.

"Sinon."

Looking towards the voice, she watched as Kirito approached.

"Kirito..."

Kirito glanced at Death before sighing. Looking at Sinon, she saw the look in his eyes and let out a sigh of her own.

"We'll be here for a while, won't we?"

Kirito nodded.

Sinon closed her eyes and sighed internally.

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

 **Well, that's a chapter and a half.**

 **Being honest here, I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, not really sure if I should go with my idea/s or not. In the end, I've gone with them, and with doing that, A Game Of Life And Death will soon reach the end of its first Arc, The Disaster Arc. Why is it called that? Well, considering the information you've been given so far... come to your own conclusions. Besides, from what I'm thinking right now, this story will have four arcs. Not sure yet, but thinking on it.**

 **Now, tell me your thoughts on the chapter. Tell me what you think of the ghettos and their leaders. Why do you think Sinon decided to follow Kirito? Why was there a large mass of undead randomly in the middle of nowhere? Why were there bandits there? What do you think of the Four Horsemen. What does Death really mean by calling Kirito his 'son'? Why is our favorite edgelord called Kazu? (was actually gonna go with Kazu Kun but nah). But really, tell me your thoughts on this chapter, especially with 'Spirit Reapers' and 'Hunters'.**

 **Oh yeah, if you couldn't tell, my writing style has changed a bit. Dw, I still plan on going back and fixing some chapters. Mainly '' to "" and other issues that I haven't bothered with.**

 **Oh yeah, to those who actually read Dark Realites... ...well... I may or may not have** _ **kinda**_ **fucked myself with the latest chapter. It's pretty much done, but... I fucked up royally by forgetting a key piece to my story. So, basically, I need to go back and write chapters that'll fit in the story so the relationship that is created actually makes sense. Basically, I fucked myself.**

 **Sigh, oh well. Hopefully this gets a lot of reviews so I have motivation to keep writing.**

 **\- Striderm8**

 **PS: I'll double check this after I upload. School tomorrow and I'm tired as hell.**


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